Melting Ice, Rising Sun
by Soramimi Keki
Summary: Bella is tired of disputing over her own fate with Edward and struggles to find a way to be truly happy with him. After she confides her doubts in Jacob, he offers her the life of freedom that she longs for. Setting for the story begins before the battle with the newborns in Eclipse and builds from there. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Doubts

Melting Ice, Rising Sun

_**Author's Note: So… I realize that there are a LOT of dedicated Edward fans out there (which I entirely respect), and I know that a lot of my Bella/Edward interactions are somewhat OOC, but this is simply just to get the plot steered more toward the Bella/Jacob interactions. For all the Jacob fans, I've tried to keep his and Bella's personalities as accurate as possible. Enjoy and please critique! xoxo**_

****I do not own ****Twilight**** or Jacob Black (though I wish I did _ ). ** **

Chapter 1: Doubts

"I still don't understand why you're being so ridiculous about this!" I fumed as Edward and I hiked toward the meadow. I was supposed to be lightly touching trees and rocks as we walked so that the newborns would pick up on my trail, but I had gotten distracted. "Changing me into a vampire is NOT going to rob me of my soul!"

I quickly glanced over to gauge his reaction. He said nothing at first, preferring to clench his jaw and control his temper than say something he would regret later. Though I knew he didn't need to perform the human behavior, he exhaled slowly anyway and shifted his golden gaze to meet mine. "Bella, we have discussed this several times. I really do not want to risk it. How you are now, alive, warm and breathing, is exactly how I want you to stay."

"But I'm going to get so old!" I wailed as I slammed my hand against the nearest tree. "How can you possibly still want me when I turn into a withered old woman?" I shuddered remembering my nightmare from the previous year.

He smiled gently at me. "You will always be my Bella, wrinkles and all. I will love you and stay by your side until you choose to send me away." I returned his smile with a troubled grimace. "Of course, there is the one condition where I did agree to change you and to do so myself," he said slyly.

I stayed silent and unwillingly thought back to the previous night where Edward said he would change me himself if I married him first. I said yes at the time because I was so desperate to become an immortal and because I couldn't bear to crush the intense waves of joy and affection that were rolling off of him when he proposed. However, in the clear light of day, I wasn't so sure about my decision. I knew that he really did not want me to become a vampire like him and that he threw in the marriage requirement to scare me away from that option. I feared marriage even more than I feared being in a room full of hungry, malicious vampires.

I was in the midst of a painful internal struggle. The only thing I knew for certain was that Edward was my entire existence. He was the very air that I breathed and I desperately wanted to make him happy. If he got his true wish and left me as a human, I would go on aging while he remained perfect, flawless, and forever frozen at seventeen. No outside eyes would approve of our seemingly twisted relationship and I couldn't see myself being happy with the arrangement either. I could already feel revulsion welling up inside me just from thinking about being a lecherous old grandma with a boyfriend who put Adonis to shame.

We continued along through the forest, Edward eyeing me worriedly as I absentmindedly pressed my hand against some of the trees and ferns around me. My mind kept hovering over the few options that I knew that I had. One was to let Edward have his way. I would refuse marriage and remain human with my guardian angel by my side until my death. Two was to go against his wishes and ask one of the Cullens who was more sympathetic to my cause, like Alice or Carlisle, to change me. Three was… well… unthinkable, but it stayed in my mind nonetheless. _Marriage. _I shuddered.

I knew he would feel betrayed if I chose option two, but it was certainly the more appealing option. I wouldn't have to get married and I would get to stay with Edward forever as a much-less-breakable Bella.

I slowly resurfaced from the pool of my thoughts and noticed that Edward was speaking to me. "What are you thinking about, love?" he asked quietly. I knew how much he disliked not being able to hear my thoughts. I was a freak after all—the only exception to the rule.

"Eternity," I replied.

He sighed and put his arm around me. "It _is _a very long time. That is why I couldn't live with myself if I condemned you to an eternity of darkness."

I couldn't help but notice the tortured, pained look on his face. However, his words irritated me. "Melodramatic much?" I muttered.

The anger flashed back into his eyes as he replied, "It is not melodramatic of me to want to keep your soul as pure and intact as I can. I've done enough evil in this existence to destroy whatever piece of a soul I might have, but I will not add to that evil by destroying your soul as well."

"And we're back at square one again," I observed dryly.

"I suppose so."

Edward's arm fell away from my shoulder and we continued walking silently at a quicker pace. I continued brushing my fingertips across the nearby foliage, slightly dubious that my scent would cling to the wet ferns. Edward had assured me it would work though, so I kept on marking.

The silence became even heavier after several minutes and I found myself dragged into my mind's three-way battle with itself: _wrinkles, betrayal, or…marriage. _If I were a selfless, saint-like creature, I would choose the first option. If I chose my own selfish desires over Edward's wishes, I would choose the second option. If I wanted to go against everything I believed in just to appease Edward, I would choose the last.

As I weighed these options, I decided that doors number one and three would be almost unbearable and that door number two was the only one I could really live with. I sucked in a deep breath and prepared to explain myself. "Edward?"

"Yes, Bella?" he answered without looking at me.

"I've had time to clearly think about all the options placed before me, and I think I have made up my mind," I managed to quickly blurt out.

This time he did glance my way yet he said nothing. I tried to summon my courage as I began to speak. "I know for certain, that I do not want to remain a human for you. I would fall apart as more time went on because you would stay beautiful forever while I withered away."

He kept silent as I continued. "I also know that I can't marry you. It's just not what I want right now. It may be an option later on in my existence, but definitely not now."

If he was feeling any hurt from my words, I didn't see it cross his beautiful face. He kept a stony, reserved look as he took in my confession.

"So, I've decided…" I continued, "I've decided that I'm going to ask Carlisle or Alice to change me. I want to be with you forever as an immortal, but I don't want to rush into marriage."

I was hoping that my decision would spur him into changing me himself anyway with no marriage requirement, but he startled me with his reply.

"You would betray me, Isabella?" he asked coldly. "You would do all of this just so that you don't have to marry me?"

"It's not that I don't ever want to get married! I just don't want to feel pressured into doing it now!" I defended myself.

"If you did this, if you betrayed me, Bella, you might become an immortal, but you would see or hear nothing from me again."

The resolve in his voice scared me as I looked into his furious, hurt-filled golden eyes.

"You wouldn't love me anymore if I were… like you?" I asked weakly.

I saw him retreat silently into his thoughts. "No. I would not. You would not be my same Bella," he said with that same far-off gaze. "And there would be no guarantee that you would ever marry me if you went running to Alice or Carlisle."

I couldn't disagree with him. I didn't know how my heart might feel after I changed. Maybe my negative view of marriage would only be amplified once I became a vampire. _This is one of those times where I really wish you could hear my thoughts _I thought desperately.

I kept walking and pushed through some thin branches to reveal the familiar meadow. There were no wildflowers this time of year, but the waist-high grass swayed lazily with the breeze. Jacob and the wolves were already there pacing around anxiously. Once Jacob spotted me, he sauntered over and greeted me with a simple, "Hey."

"Hey, yourself," I replied glumly.

"Well then, did I interrupt something important?" he asked dryly as he observed the expressions on our faces.

"Actually you did, Jacob," Edward cut in smoothly. "If you could excuse us for a moment, we need to continue our discussion."

_Oh no. Now I've done it._

Jacob must have noticed my horrified expression because he quickly asked, "Bella? That's ok right? Is that what you want?"

I merely nodded and he patted my shoulder gently before glaring at Edward and going to rejoin the wolves. Edward took my hand and led me back into the trees.

_I am so lost right now. What do I do? _

"It seems that we have reached an impasse," Edward said once we'd left the meadow.

"It certainly seems that way," I answered quietly, doing my best to avoid his piercing stare.

He gently lifted my chin so that our eyes would meet. "I think we need some time apart to clear our heads and think about our options."

"Is now really the best time for that?" I blurted out. "I mean, the newborns are almost here and we have to think about the safety of your family and the pack."

"You're right. Now is not the best time. I am in no way breaking up with you. It was just a suggestion that we can discuss later," he reassured me.

"That sounds…fair," I replied hesitantly.

He smiled distractedly at me and then lost himself in thought again. "As to the more pressing matter that you have mentioned," he mused, "I know that we both wanted to stay together during the fight, but something that Carlisle was thinking earlier caught my attention."

"What was that?" I asked, genuinely curious. I twirled a strand of my hair around my index finger slowly while I waited for him to respond.

"By now, Victoria has to have realized that I would not go anywhere without you. If I go with you up to the mountain, Jacob carrying you will hide your scent, but I won't be able to hide mine. She will just track me down as a way to get to you."

I gulped in fear as I imagined the furious, flame-haired vampire finally getting her powerful hands on me. "So what does this mean then?" I asked him.

"Even though leaving you will hurt us both, it is the only way I know of to ensure your safety. It will annoy me to no end to leave you with that….mutt Jacob Black, but he is the only way I can see that you will be safe. With me fighting in the clearing and you safe miles away, you will be utterly invisible to her," he said confidently.

I didn't like the idea of Edward being in danger. He was much too self-sacrificing for his own good and I didn't want him to be a martyr for me. I finally put my arms around him and breathed in his intoxicating scent. "I don't like this idea."

He added his arms to our embrace and gently kissed my forehead before answering, "I know, I know, love. But it is the only way. While we're apart, take your time to think about everything you told me and we will talk more about it when I safely return to you."

He was good—much too good for me, anyway. I leaned up slowly to kiss his cool, marble lips and for once, I was not the one to lose all control. One of his hands firmly but gently gripped my back while the other on the back of my head pushed my lips tighter to his. He kissed me with such passion and intensity that it began to frighten me.

_I've felt this kiss before. _It was the same kiss I received the day before Edward broke up with me. _He's scared. He doesn't know what you will decide _my mind tried to soothe me. I was too frightened to put much more enthusiasm into our embrace, but I felt my heart pounding in my chest just as normal. He loosened his grip on me and gently pressed his lips to mine once more before he stepped away from me. As we made our way back into the clearing, I felt an uncomfortable sense of foreboding welling up inside me.

Jacob didn't rush to meet us when we reentered. Instead, we waded through the tall grass over to where he and the pack were waiting. Jacob was the only member who had not phased yet—he was waiting to carry me up to the safe haven on the mountain.

"Jacob," Edward nodded to him.

"Bloodsucker," Jacob spit back.

Edward ignored this insult. "It seems our plan has…changed a bit."

Jacob's brows furrowed in sincere confusion. "How so?" he asked.

"I and some of my family members have noted that Victoria will be expecting Bella and me to stay together during this encounter. Therefore, if I join her on the mountain, Victoria will be able to easily track my scent to get to Bella. She will only be safe if I stay with my family and the pack to fight while you protect her on the mountain. With you protecting her, she will be invisible to Victoria," he said calmly.

"Victoria? The red-headed bloodsucker? It's hard for me to keep the names straight," he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"That's correct," Edward said impatiently.

"Well then, let's get going," Jacob eagerly said.

"Don't get too hasty, Jacob Black," Edward suddenly snarled. "You are to take care of Bella as though your own life depends on it, and if she is returned to me in less than perfect condition, you will answer to me."

"Relax there, bloodsucker," he retorted. "No one's going to harm a hair on Bell's head with me protecting her." He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. I could see Edward's eyes narrow as he assessed Jacob's action, but he decided to let it go for the time being.

"You better head on," Edward said quietly. "Alice just said that the newborns will be here first thing in the morning. You'll have plenty of time to get settled in and Alice saw snow on the mountain tonight so that should help conceal your scent even more." Edward reached for my hand which I gently placed in his. "I love you, Bella," he whispered.

I could feel tears welling up as I met his gaze, "I love You, Edward." I heard Jacob make an immature retching sound behind me at our exchange of affection, but I wouldn't let him ruin this moment for me. I reached up to press my lips against his once more and then I turned to go with Jacob. I could feel Edward's gaze on me and I turned to glance in his direction as Jacob lifted me up in his arms and ran towards the mountain.

_Goodbye _I cried to myself. I watched him gradually shrink as Jacob ran until he was no more than a speck far-off in the distance.


	2. Confessions

Chapter 2: Confessions

Jacob had been running in silence for the past few minutes, clutching me close to him. The chill I should have felt from the wind rushing by was neutralized by Jacob's abnormally warm skin. I still marveled that he and the rest of the pack could run around half naked on even the coldest of days without feeling the cold. _It's just a wolf thing _I reminded myself.

I let my thoughts wander back to the previous interaction with Edward. He looked…broken and pained as he watched me leave with Jacob. _You're doing the right thing. He wanted you to do this. _No matter how many times I tried to console myself, I still felt guilty. I had a lot to think about concerning our disagreements over my fate. _What am I willing to give up? What is HE willing to give up? _

Jacob suddenly slowed to a walking pace as we neared the top. "Almost there," he grinned. It really wasn't fair. I should have been wallowing in guilt and self-loathing after what I had done to Edward. Why did Jacob's smile have to be so genuine and infectious? I returned his smile weakly and quickly pressed my face against his warm chest so that he wouldn't have time to analyze me.

I should have known that nothing got by Jacob Black. He was so attuned to me and all of my bizarre moods. "You gonna be ok, Bells?" he asked me worriedly.

_I really don't deserve him. _ "I hope so. I just have a lot to muddle over while we're up here," I replied distantly.

His warm eyes searched my face, looking for some sign of what was troubling me. _Great. Now you're going to upset Jacob too. _I made an attempt at another smile and hoped it seemed real enough. I must have passed inspection because he returned my smile and squeezed me gently in a sideways, off-ground hug. He set me down as we reached the top of the mountain and immediately started unpacking the tent from the backpack that Edward had angrily thrust at him before leaving.

I let my mind wander while he started assembling the tent. I thought back to the original options that I had placed before myself. Which one of Edward's stipulations would be the deal breaker for me, being human or being married? I now knew that I couldn't just run to Carlisle or Alice to end my problems because Edward apparently would not accept me. So now my choices were either to be an unmarried human or a married vampire. _What to do?_

"Hey! Can I get a little bit of help over here?" Jacob called. His words sounded a bit muffled. I couldn't help but laugh at my best friend once I saw that it was because he was holding the extra tent stakes in his mouth while trying to secure the tent to the ground. The stakes jutting out of his mouth at random angles just made him look even more ridiculous. I laughed at him again as I came to the rescue. He playfully nudged me in the stomach with his elbow once I stood beside him. "Not nice," he mumbled.

I took the stakes out of his mouth for him and passed him the mallet he was looking for earlier. "Sorry, Jake. I just really wish you could see how hilarious you looked," I giggled.

"Well why don't you swap places with me and then I'll have a good idea of how I looked?" he said devilishly as he promptly stuck one of the stakes in my mouth. I was caught so off guard and my surprised look made him laugh. "Yeah… you're right," he snorted, "I must have looked totally ridiculous."

I joined in with his good-humored chortle and I couldn't believe how happy I felt. I was so buoyant and bubbly. _How does he do this? _Being around Jacob was as easy as breathing. His constant warmth and good nature made me never want to leave him. _You're not supposed to be enjoying yourself _my conscience meanly crept in. _You're supposed to be thinking about your future with Edward. _"Things just aren't looking promising now though," I thought out loud.

"Hmm? What was that?" Jacob asked as he staked the last corner of the tent.

"Oh, nothing," I quickly lied. Jacob scrutinized my quick answer but chose not to comment on it. _He knows me too well _I thought fondly. _He doesn't need mind-reading powers like Edward. Am I that much of an open book to him?_

"Well, the sun is going to be gone soon," he said as he stretched his arms toward the sky. "We better go ahead and get your things inside. I can already feel the temperature dropping. I just love snow," he grinned.

"Ew," I said, wrinkling my nose.

"Aww come on, Bells. Is the snow really that bad?"

"I just don't like cold things," I mumbled.

He looked at me strangely for a moment. "Isn't your boyfriend kind of… icy?" he finally asked dryly.

"That's…. that's different," I stammered defensively. _What's he up to?_

"Whatever you say, Bella. Come on, let's get you settled in," he said as he steered me toward the tent.

A piece of my hair got caught in the zipper of the tent door as I entered and I cursed silently under my breath. _Why do I have to be so clumsy? _Jacob clearly heard my choice of language and snickered as he followed me inside.

"Foul mouth," he teased.

"You're one to be talking about foul mouthed-ness, Mr. Black," I muttered grumpily.

"Okay, okay...only teasing, honey," he put up his "I surrender" hands.

With peace made, I unrolled my sleeping bag on the far side of tent and placed my small bag of personal items at its bottom. I hunkered down on it and noticed Jake crouching awkwardly on the other side of the tent. "Did you not bring a bag or anything to lie down on?" I asked him, concerned.

"Nah. I was just going to sit outside the tent and keep guard during the night," he said matter-of-factly.

I stared at him incredulously. "Jake, you can't be serious. It's going to snow tonight, remember?"

"Your lack of faith in me pretty insulting," he teased. "You forget that I run a little hotter than most, at a toasty one-oh-eight point nine." He winked at me playfully.

"Still," I mused, "you shouldn't have to sit outside on a mountaintop during a snowstorm. Why don't you just stay in the tent out of the wind at least?" I asked him.

He snorted. "Really, I'll be fine, Bells. I need to try to stay connected to the pack anyway and I'll be in my wolf-form. My fur keeps me nice and toasty," he tried to reassure me.

My concern for Jacob just wouldn't let me stop pestering him. "You won't need to hear what the pack is up to until tomorrow morning at least. Please, just stay in the tent with me for the night so you'll be out of the wind."

His head fell in defeat as he rearranged himself into a more comfortable sitting position. "If that's what you want, Bella, then I'll stay." He smiled warmly at me and I swore I could feel that warmth spread from my head to my toes.

_It's like magic. _We sat in silence for several minutes just enjoying each other's company. I noticed that Jacob looked quite content. _I knew he couldn't be too upset about an invitation like this _I smiled to myself. I periodically glanced back over to him until it got too dark to see.

"Did we bring a lantern to this slumber party?" I asked him.

He chuckled darkly. "I don't think your bloodsucker packed one. I guess he figured it'd make us the lighthouse on top of the mountain and therefore, too easy to spot. Not a bad idea. Of course I don't need one to see," he gloated.

I loved how I didn't need to see his face to know exactly what face he was making. I could picture the smug, playful grin he had flashed me several times before. "You're a freak, Jake," I teased him.

"I know it. You sure can pick them, Bells."

An awkward silence hung in the tent after Jacob's remark. _Yes, it seems I can _I mused to myself. I felt the pain from this afternoon's argument wash over me as I sat in the dark. I still had no idea what I was going to tell Edward. Neither of my options was ideal. Marriage could always come later in a human life, but I didn't want to be older than Edward. I heard his voice in my head sarcastically reminding me that he was already one-hundred years old. He had called my bluff with the marriage requirement. He knew how I felt about marriage and thought that my feelings would discourage me from becoming an immortal. _He wasn't wrong. _

"Bella? Please tell me what's going on," he suddenly asked. "I can tell that you're really upset about whatever you and…Edward were talking about earlier. Did he hurt you?" he pressed.

_Just tell him _I urged myself. I needed to talk to someone about it. Jacob was my best friend and a good listener, but he was also in love with me. _Can I really trust his assessment of the situation?_ I was going to implode if I didn't talk about this to someone soon. Jacob was here, Edward was expecting an answer in the morning, and I still had no idea what to do about it all.

"No, he didn't hurt me. I mostly just hurt myself," I started. _Honesty _I reminded myself. _He deserves the truth. _I knew telling him about Edward's proposal would hurt him, but I had to talk about it. He silently waited for me to continue.

"Last night, Edward asked me to marry him," I confessed quietly.

"He WHAT?" Jacob bellowed.

"Jake, I know how you feel about all this, but will you please hold off of judging until I finish?"

I heard Jacob's teeth grinding together as he attempted to calm himself down. After a moment he replied with a simple "Sure."

"Anyway, Edward does not want me to become a vampire. That is what _**I**_ want." I felt Jacob tense up as he tried to keep from phasing into a wolf out of anger. "He told me that he would change me himself if I married him first. He knew I wouldn't agree to that though because he knows what a high opinion I have of marriage. So the only option he really wants is for me to stay human."

"Can't disagree with him there," he muttered. "That's what I want too."

"But I can't see myself being with him every day, slowly getting older while he stays perfect and frozen in time until I die!" I sobbed.

Jacob scooted closer to me, picked me up like I was just a doll, and cradled me close to his chest. "Shhh…." He whispered soothingly.

I felt heavy tears rolling down my face and dampening his bare chest. His warm embrace made me feel safe and protected from the waves of despair that threatened to crush me. He gently rocked me in his arms, attempting to calm me down.

"I just feel like I have no control over my life anymore," I suddenly said. "I shouldn't have to compromise this much when it's my own mortality or immortality that is in question."

"You're not completely powerless," he tried to assure me. He pressed his warm lips to my forehead. Normally I would chastise him for the gesture, but it seemed to make me feel much better. "Do you remember what I told you the other day?" he asked quietly.

I thought back to that day, the day that had plagued my subconscious with doubt and denial ever since he spoke to me. He told me that I was in love with him but didn't realize it yet. At the time, I assumed he was saying that simply to try to change my mind, but was there more to it? Did I really love Jacob Black?

"You think that I'm in love with you," I answered slowly.

"I know that you are. And I know that you're not powerless, Bella. You still have another choice—me. I love you, Bells and I can give you whatever life you want. We can do things all at whatever pace you'd like. If you don't want to get married right away, that's fine. I won't pressure you. I'm able to give you kids if or when you want them. You have a future with me that can include your mom, Charlie, your human friends, and it's a future that you can choose, Bella," he pleaded.

_Could I really have that much freedom? I wouldn't be locked into just one path?_

I felt Jacob's breathing quicken. I didn't realize how much emotion for me he had contained in himself. His face inched closer to mine until I could feel his hot breath on me. His mouth hovered dangerously near mine. I could tell he wanted to kiss me so badly, but he remembered that I would have to be the one to ask him. _Is this what I want?_ The emotions radiating off of Jacob were so powerful that I found myself feeling dizzy with confusion and with my own emotions.

_There's only one way to find out _I told myself. I tried to summon all of my courage and all of my will to fight for my own destiny. My heart pounded erratically and I could feel my pulse hammering in my brain. _It's now or never _I thought as I pressed my lips against Jacob's. He sighed in pure ecstasy, so relieved that I had given in. His fingers tangled into my hair and he pushed our lips tighter together. He kissed me so fervently and with such passion that for a moment, I could clearly picture the life we could have together. I saw a lifetime of sunshine, warmth, and easy familiarity with my Jacob and I could even picture two small, raven-haired, russet-skinned children running towards me in the sunshine: my children. _Our children _my subconscious corrected. I moved my lips with Jacob's a little longer until he pulled back to examine my face. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks as he studied me.

"I love you, Isabella Swan," Jacob whispered in my ear. I gently stroked his face with my fingertips before I was overcome by emotional exhaustion. I took his words with me as I peacefully blacked out.

_I love you…_

**AN: So, guys, I'm still working on the third chapter right now. I wanted to get your opinions on how you feel about point-of-view shifts within a chapter. Do you find the back and forth switches confusing/distracting or do you think that they make the scene more complete? There's a pretty important scene with Bella and Jacob coming up ;) and I want to make sure I structure it as best as I can to get the right emotions out of it. Your comments are much appreciated and I hope to have Ch. 3 up by the weekend!**

**Xoxo -Mimi **


	3. Beginnings

Chapter 3: Beginnings

When I finally opened my eyes, it was still as dark as when they were closed. I listened quietly for a moment, trying to see if I could hear Jacob's breathing. I heard nothing but the wind wailing outside of the tent. _Why is Jake out in that bad weather? _I asked myself worriedly. "Jake?" I whispered quietly into the darkness.

The tent door suddenly unzipped and a blast of freezing air filled the tent. "You called?" he asked playfully.

"Geez, Jake! It's freezing! Get inside and zip that back up!" I could feel my teeth chattering.

"Sure, sure," he conceded as he let himself back inside. I felt him plop down beside me and all of a sudden, I felt like I was sitting next to a space heater. _Am I really that cold? _

"Where'd you go?" I asked him.

"Curiosity got the better of me. I went to go phase so I could check on the rest of the pack. Everyone's hunkered down for the night and taking turns standing guard. It seems that they don't trust your bloodsucker's prediction that they'll come in the morning."

"If Alice said they'll be here first thing in the morning, then that's when they'll be here," I defended my friend.

"If you say so," he said casually. I still couldn't see him, but I could feel his gaze on me all the same. "You feeling any better, Bells?" he asked me kindly.

_Do I feel better? _I felt better in some ways and worse in others. I was glad to have gotten everything worrying me off my chest, but now I was still confused. Jacob had provided me with another alternative, one where I called the shots and didn't have to settle for anything. Thinking about the freedom made me feel lighter and less worried, and thinking about a future with Jacob made me smile. I could picture everything perfectly. There were no doubts, no troubles, no uncertainties that a life with him could be possible. _What about Edward?_ I tried to push him far from my mind for now. I was in enough anguish already.

"I'm feeling a little better, I guess," I finally replied.

"That's good," he answered, placing his huge, warm hand over my small, freezing one. The heat was… nice. Very nice.

_I could certainly get used to this warmth _I thought even though I already knew I had gotten used to it. Jacob was like a drug—I felt so light and happy around him and constantly felt the need for more of his company.

"Bella?" he asked quietly.

My heart skipped a beat from hearing him say my name. "Yes, Jacob?" I replied.

"I'm so glad that you kissed me. It was better than anything I could have imagined," he said as he gently squeezed my hand.

I was silent for a moment before I replied, "I'm glad I kissed you too. It was… eye-opening."

I felt Jacob scoot away from me slightly and I had to reach out to find his hand again. _You hurt his feelings. He thinks that you didn't enjoy it _I scolded myself.

"Jake," I started again, "that kiss was…magical. I could feel every ounce of the love you feel for me in that kiss and I felt all of my own love for you in it as well." My heart was beating so quickly that I feared it would leap out of my chest at any point.

"You… you love me too?" Jacob marveled.

I took his hand and placed it gently over my heart so that he could feel how frantically he made it beat. "You already knew that I did," I smiled at him.

He scooped me up in his arms held me tightly against him. _I love this warmth _I smiled to myself. _It's not just my body he warms, he warms my soul too. _Jacob stroked the back of my head and kept holding me tightly—as if he were afraid to ever let me go. _You don't have to be afraid anymore, Jacob. _

I felt his eyes searching my face questioningly and I finally realized what he was looking for—permission. Knowing with every ounce of my being that it was the right thing to do, I gently cupped the side of his face with my hand and whispered, "Kiss me, Jacob."

Within a second, he obeyed and his lips came crashing down on mine. His lips moved against mine desperately and even though they were softer than the marble lips I was so used to, they felt just as amazing. My lips were able to move along with his in ways that they couldn't with Edward. I found myself loving the difference.

I kissed Jacob with the same amount of gusto that he used and I heard a low moan deep in his chest. His fingers knotted in my hair at the back of my head and he pushed my face closer to him. He continued kissing me fiercely until he realized that I had to breathe at some point. He reluctantly let our lips break apart and even in the darkness, I could feel him staring at me. I tried not to feel self conscious that my face was probably beet red from blushing and that Jacob would be able to see.

"Bells, you're so damn beautiful," he murmured as though he could read my thoughts—my every insecurity. He laid me down on my sleeping bag which was unbearably cold compared to his warm chest. He stroked my cheek with his thumb and I sighed gently. I pulled him down on top of me, greedily absorbing the warmth radiating off of his skin. He chuckled and wrapped his huge arms around me. Jake always had a way of making me feel tiny and insignificant—being in his arms only made me more aware of that fact.

I let my face snuggle into his shoulder and he didn't even react to the coldness of my skin. I gently kissed the skin on his shoulder and trailed my kisses over to his collarbone. I could feel him trembling from my touch. I let my lips finally make it back to his lips and I pressed them against his once before parting. "I love you," I finally whispered into the darkness.

"I know you do," he said smugly.

Suddenly, I knew exactly what I wanted from this life I had been given. With Edward, I felt like I couldn't have everything I truly wanted. But Jacob, my Jacob, had given me another option where I got to call the shots in my own life. The power in that freedom was intoxicating. As much as I would hate to cause Edward pain, I realized that a life with Edward would be illusion and fantasy—a life that wasn't exactly how I wanted it. Jacob represented all that was good and real about life, and I knew I couldn't go another day without him.

I pressed my lips to Jacob's once more and said, "Jacob, I choose you."

I heard the breath catch in his throat in disbelief. "You… want me and not Edward?"

"Yes. I've never been surer of anything in my life," I whispered.

"You're absolutely sure you want to be with me?" he quickly blurted out.

"I want to be with you until both of our hearts stop beating."

A suddenly ecstatic Jacob covered my lips with his and feverishly kissed me. I joined him, sharing in our moment of delight. I felt his lips get fiercer against mine and I could feel his lower body pressing closer to me. We startled each other by moaning quietly at the same time. An animalistic feeling of need suddenly rose up within me and I found myself unhappy with the remaining distance between our bodies. Jacob's lips broke away from mine and they trailed kisses from my jaw down to the hollow of my throat. I trembled beneath him and a sigh of exultation escaped my lips. I raised my hips until our bodies met and he pressed back into me.

"Bella?" he suddenly groaned in an unfamiliar, deeper voice.

"Mmmm?" I mumbled. My head was too cloudy from emotion that I couldn't form coherent words in my head.

"Will you… be my mate?" he asked in that same husky voice.

I wondered if this was the wolfish part of Jacob speaking to me. But I didn't care. I loved all of Jacob. "Yes. Forever…" I replied.

I felt Jacob shaking from emotion and his lips immediately returned to my neck. He kissed me passionately before growling in my ear, "You're sure?"

"Yes," I moaned.

Suddenly, Jacob's kisses became fiercer and I felt a sharp sensation on the left side of my neck. I flinched slightly from the sting and realized that Jacob had bitten me. He had marked me as his mate for life. I delighted in the fact that we had chosen each other so completely. I felt every invisible string that attached me to Edward Cullen suddenly disappear. Jacob was the only thing that mattered—he was my new life. _Goodbye, Edward…_ I whispered as I brought my lips back to Jacob's.

_**Thanks so much for reading and sorry for the slow update! Please review and let me know what you think!**_

_**XOXO -Mimi**_


	4. Mine

**AN: Heads up, everyone. This chapter **_**does**_** contain mature content, so if you are not into reading that kind of content, skip ahead and I'll place a summary of any important events/conversations at the beginning of chapter 5. Please review! -Mimi**

Chapter 4: Mine

_**Jacob's POV**_

"I love you," I heard her whisper.

Oh god I loved hearing her say that again. "I know you do," I replied.

I watched Bella get lost in her thoughts again. I love it when she does that. It's so much easier for me to stare at her without looking weird. Her eyes were miles away and she chewed on her bottom lip anxiously. She was definitely thinking about something serious. I was about to get really worried when I noticed a sudden spark in her eyes. They all of a sudden looked brighter for whatever reason. Before I could speak, she pressed her lips against mine gently.

"Jacob, I choose you," she said.

I was floored. I definitely wasn't expecting that. What exactly did she mean? Was it possible that she meant what I've been hoping she would say to me? "You… want me and not Edward?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I've never been surer of anything in my life," she whispered fervently.

I still couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You're absolutely sure you want to be with me?" I stuttered.

I saw her eyes searching blindly for my face in the dark. "I want to be with you until both of our hearts stop beating."

A feeling of triumph and pure euphoria sprung up within me after hearing her declaration. I seized her lips with my own and as I kissed her, all the angst, hurt, and feelings of unrequited love that I'd felt for the past several months melted away. Bella wanted _**me**_. I felt the animal in me purr with satisfaction. I kissed her hungrily and I could feel the heat radiating from between her thighs. Instinctually, I couldn't help myself but to press into that warmth with my own. We both moaned quietly and I delighted in the fact that Bella was loving this as much as I was. I kissed all over her neck and throat and as I breathed in her amazing scent, an inborn desire to claim what was mine overtook me.

"Bella?" The animal in me pleaded.

Her eyes were closed in ecstasy and she only managed to mumble, "Mmmm?"

I felt myself shaking as I readied myself for my next words. "Will you…be my mate?"

"Yes. Forever…" she whispered.

My inner animal roared with happiness. I kissed her fiercely and the human in me reminded me to be respectful. "You're sure?" I growled in her ear. I heard her consent in her low moan. My next actions were not a conscious thought, they were purely instinctual. I kissed along her neck again trying to distract her from my sudden bite. My teeth gripped her flesh and I tasted the small bit of blood I had drawn. I felt her shudder beneath me and I heard a satisfied moan escape her lips. _No wonder those bloodsuckers were nuts over her _I thought suddenly. _She tastes delicious. _Those bloodsuckers had no claim on her anymore. _She is mine now _I thought ecstatically.

Bella suddenly gasped and I quickly sat up to look at her. The moment I did, I felt everything else I loved about the universe slowly fade away. Only one thing mattered now, my Bella. I suddenly felt like Bella and I were magnets and that she was my sun. My whole universe now revolved around her. Finally, I had imprinted on Bella. I saw her blindly gaze at my face in astonishment.

"Jake?" she whispered. "It happened, didn't it?"

"Yes, Bells. It most certainly did," I grinned.

What happened next, I definitely hadn't anticipated. She sat up as well and launched herself at me. Her arms wrapped around my neck, her lips crashed against mine, and I could feel every inch of her trying to get closer to me. Wanting to close the distance just as much as she did, I gently set her back on the sleeping bag and covered her with my body. Her lips kept moving frantically against mine and I felt her small hands grip parts of my bare back. I pressed myself into her warmth again and heard another quiet moan from her. She brought her arms around to the front and started fumbling with the buttons on her navy blouse. She sighed in frustration and I pressed my lips to hers to silence her displeasure.

"Allow me," I growled devilishly, centimeters away from her face. Her shirt was suddenly ripped in two and on the other side of the tent. _Hopefully she isn't too attached to it. _She gasped excitedly and met my lips again. I sat up and reluctantly broke us apart after a few moments to take in the sight of her. She was as gorgeous as I had imagined her—and for the past several months, I had spent many nights imagining. My dreams definitely had not done her justice. My eyes trailed from the creamy, ivory flesh at her navel up to her delicate breasts covered by a pale pink bra. I shuddered in excitement and could feel myself getting hard. I finally found her eyes again and saw the self-consciousness that burned in them. Did she really not realize how amazingly beautiful she was?

I bent down to kiss her gently as I spoke, "You… are without a doubt…the most gorgeous woman…I will ever see."

I saw her smile slightly, happy with my praise, but she still seemed uneasy. _This is new for both of us _I reprimanded myself. _It's just more instinctual with me than it is with her. Slow down a bit and let her take control. _

I hovered near her face, waiting to see what would happen. I felt her shallow breaths hit my face and I shivered at the cool sensation. After a moment, she raised her lips to meet mine and kissed me once, shyly, and then got bolder once she gauged my eager reaction. She pulled me back down on top of her and I let her explore my mouth with hers. I felt excited spasms shake my body as her tongue made its way into my mouth. It wasn't fair that she tasted so good. The animal in me wanted me to hurry up and take what was now mine, but I caged it up inside me to save for later. _Bella needs to enjoy this _I reminded myself. And she definitely did seem to be enjoying herself. I heard her breathing quicken as she molded herself around me—her legs wrapped tightly around the backs of my thighs and her arms held on tight to my neck.

Bella's scent was intoxicating as our foreplay intensified. I smelled all of the excitement and arousal coming from her and it only made the animal in me even more agitated. I experimentally placed one hand over her fabric-covered breast to see how she would react and I felt her low moan reverberate in my mouth. I tore my lips away from hers and kissed my way around her neck. "Would you miss this at all?" I whispered in her ear.

She grabbed my hand and placed it on her breastbone. I could feel the plastic clasp and said a silent thank-you to the cosmos that she had worn a front-closing bra. I popped it open with ease and her discarded bra joined the small pile of clothing building on the far side of the tent. When I turned my head back to her, she was already trying to shimmy out of her jeans. I still couldn't believe this was happening. I also couldn't believe that she went ahead and pulled off her panties too. I was suddenly overwhelmed by the aroused scents radiating from her. It made me dizzy with excitement.

Once the remainder of her clothes joined the others, she settled back against the sleeping bag and I was suddenly more awestruck than a blind man who had just seen the sun for the first time. My dreams hadn't prepared me for the sight that awaited me here. My eyes followed from the dark patch between her thighs up to the ivory mounds on her chest and then to the beautiful cheeks, flushed from excitement. I let out a joyous moan and covered her mouth with mine once more.

My hand moved down to her breast and I cupped the soft mound that waited for me. I kneaded it gently and my index finger moved slowly across her nipple. Her breath caught in her throat and I broke us apart to let her breathe. I trailed kisses down the length of her neck and landed between her two creamy mounds. I grabbed one with my hand and covered the other with my lips. I kissed it and traced circles around the nipple with my tongue. I felt Bella shiver and I knew I was doing something right.

As I continued kissing, my free hand left her breast and traced the contours of her body—hugging the side of her chest and going down to her waist and hips. I got a little bolder and moved my hand toward the warmth radiating from between her thighs. My hand covered the warmth and I stroked the moist lips that I felt there. I felt a strong tremor rock through Bella and I broke my lips away from her breast to make sure all was well.

"You alright, Bells?" I asked worriedly.

"Yes…" she sighed. "Whatever you were doing, please don't stop."

"Your wish is my command. I'm your slave for life, remember?" I teased as I kissed her cheeks.

"I didn't know this eternity of servitude would be so amazing for me," she breathed.

I chuckled and kissed my way back down to her breast. I let my hand pick up where we had left off. I rubbed the whole area and was gratified to feel her pressing into my palm. One of my fingers glided between her warm, moist lips and I explored this new area by gently slipping it inside of her.

"Ohhh…." she breathed.

I couldn't believe how wet I had made her. I enjoyed the feeling of my finger slipping in and out of her with ease. Her back arched slightly and I heard her heart pounding in her chest. I broke my mouth away from her breast to watch her reaction as I tried adding another finger to join the first. Bella's eyes were closed in ecstasy and her breathing was pretty ragged from excitement. I quickened the pace of my fingers and heard her moans return. Feeling powerful and extremely turned-on, I bravely added a third finger to stretch her out even more. Her back arched even more and she bucked her hips to drive me deeper into her. She moaned loudly and pulled my face down to hers. She kissed me more deeply and ferociously than she ever had and I positioned myself back on top of her in excitement. I pressed hard into her as she kissed me and I felt her arousal getting my shorts damp. She moaned at the pressure I was exerting on her and I almost took her right then.

_Patience! _I yelled at myself. _We're almost there. _

"Jake… I don't know how much longer I can stand this," she panted as though she could read my thoughts.

"Do you think you're ready?" I asked, still out of breath from her kisses.

As an answer to my question, she practically clawed my shorts off of me and I maneuvered them down to my ankles. _Thank god it's not convenient for werewolves to wear boxers _I thought gratefully. She hesitantly reached out towards my junk and I shivered as her hand wrapped around my shaft. I said a silent thank-you that the alphas in the pack had the biggest…packages. Knowing that was all that kept me from feeling self-conscious. Bella's eyes widened as she felt me and I could see her trying to mentally calculate how I would fit inside her.

I leaned down to kiss her and I gently placed myself in front of her entrance. I let the tip glide down the length of her lips a few times to let some of her excitement get me wetter. I felt her tremble in anticipation as I positioned myself back at her entrance. I pressed in gently just enough to get the tip inside her. She gasped and gripped onto the back of my neck. I pulled out and this time pushed in a tiny bit further.

"Stop teasing me," she pleaded.

"This is your last chance to back out, Bella," I murmured. "Are you absolutely sure you want me?"

"I've never been surer. Please, Jacob. Please…" she moaned.

"This may hurt for a minute," I apologized. The animal in me roared in triumph as I thrust myself into her fully and felt her barrier break. I heard Bella gasp in pain and I quickly pressed my lips to hers to try to distract her from the hurt. I gently licked away the few salty tears that streamed down her cheeks and waited for her to recover.

After a few moments, I felt her shift around experimentally and she returned my prolonged kiss. "I think I'll be ok now, Jake," she breathed.

I started moving slowly inside her, letting her get used to the new sensations. I heard her sharp exhales and brought my lips back to hers. "Is this ok?" I asked her, breaking away for a moment.

"Mmmmm….." she sighed.

I felt I could pick up some speed and quickened my pace. I heard her quiet sighs transform into low moans and they made the animal in me strain at the mental cage I had placed around it. As I thrust into her faster and deeper, I had to really fight for control—I didn't' want to hurt Bella. I heard her sigh and she murmured, "Faster, Jake. Please?"

"I'm not hurting you?" I asked in disbelief.

"Not at all. Faster, please!" she begged.

I needed no more urging than that. I slammed into her, letting my wild side take over. Bella moaned so loudly that I was afraid everyone in the meadow would be able to hear. Everything was so much more heightened now. I could smell all the complex, amazing pheromones coming from Bella and I could hear the blood pounding through her veins and her ragged, excited breathing as I moved inside of her. I felt myself getting closer and closer to my climax with every thrust and I wasn't sure how much longer I could last. Bella's breathing got faster and faster until I thought her heart might give out.

"I'm almost… almost there," she moaned. I picked up my pace just a little bit more until I heard her moans grow even louder. "Jake…" she moaned. I wasn't going to last much longer at all if she kept calling my name. Her leg muscles suddenly tensed and I felt her toes curl as she called out my name once more. I felt her tighten around my shaft and the spasms rocked through me along with a wave of warmth. I thrust into her twice more and I bit the other side of her neck as I exploded inside her.

I rested my head on her chest and we both spent the next several minutes trying to regain control of our lungs. I could see the first rays of the morning sun trying to peek in through the tent and cursed the fact that the night couldn't have lasted longer. Bella ran her fingers through my hair and pulled my face up to meet hers. She kissed me weakly and placed my head on her shoulder. "Jake…" she sighed.

"Mmmm?" I groaned. It was my turn to be at a loss for words.

"Oh, God, Jake. That was… incredible," she breathed.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Bells."

She chuckled feebly and turned her gaze toward my face. The directness of her stare told me that it was finally bright enough for her to see. "I love you, Jacob Black—more than life itself."

"I love you, Isabella Swan. You're mine now," I smiled blissfully.

She brought her lips down to mine again—this time kissing me with quite a bit more strength.

"Yes. I most certainly am," she returned my exulted grin. "I am yours forever. And you, sir, are mine," she growled playfully in my ear.

I sat up slowly and held her gently in my arms. I cradled her close to my chest and embraced the woman who was now my sole purpose for existing. Every anchor, string, and chain in the universe now tied me to Bella Swan, and I held her tight to me until the tent finally filled with the sun's morning rays.


	5. Showdown

**AN: For those who skipped chapter 4 because of the mature content, in the chapter, Jacob marked Bella as his mate for life, he imprinted on her, and they made love for the first time. If anyone wants me to post an edited-down version of chapter 4, just let me know and I'll be glad to do it! -Mimi (P.S. Don't forget to review!)**

Chapter 5: Showdown

Jacob had just left the tent when I finally took a minute to gather my thoughts. _Wow…_was all my mind could sum up. I felt…complete after last night—like everything I had been worrying about had melted away. I stretched my arms over my head and looked around for wherever Jacob had tossed my clothes. I spotted them on the other side of the tent and crawled over to grab them. I felt a bit of soreness between my legs, but the pain wasn't awful, just uncomfortable. I started to redress myself, realizing quickly that I would have to dig in my bag for a new shirt and bra. _Jake wasn't too nice to them _I smiled to myself.

I had asked him why he wasn't grabbing his shorts when he was heading out of the tent and he just grinned devilishly at me. "Well first of all, I want to give you a proper chance to check me out," he winked, "and second, I'm about to phase and I might as well leave those here."

I blushed at his teasing remark. "Come right back," I told him. I'll sit with you while you're a wolf so that you can listen in on everything."

He came back to me and kissed me once before saying, "Whatever my lady commands." He winked at me again before dashing out of the tent. I felt the heat scorching my face as I watched him go. How was it possible that every inch of him was so beautiful?

I resumed dressing myself where I had left off and began to pack up the little things strewn about the tent. As soon as I rolled up my sleeping bag, I stepped outside the tent, blinded by the morning sun. It was incredible that icy cold from the night before was comfortably cool today. I tugged on the jacket that Jacob had brought for me and I was just right. I wandered over to a fallen tree nearby, sat down, and leaned against it, waiting for my Jacob to come back to me.

After a few minutes, I saw him emerge from the tree line—my enormous russet wolf. It seemed so strange that the first time I saw him, I was terrified. Now when I looked at him, my heart just filled with warmth and love. I could have sworn he was smiling at me as he approached. I smiled back at his wolfy grin and he sat down next to me then slid forward with his front legs stretched out so that we would be closer to the same height. I placed my hand on the top of his head and suddenly jolted as though I had been shocked. Jacob jumped up and I heard a low rumble in his chest—he was worried.

_What just happened? _I tried to collect my thoughts. Right when I touched Jacob, I heard _**I love you**_ in my head—only, it was Jacob's voice and not my own. _Can I… can I hear his thoughts? _I marveled. Jacob was standing from where he'd jumped up, so I got up and walked over to him.

"Jacob," I suddenly said. "Last night after you asked if I was sure I wanted to be with you, what did I tell you?" I quickly placed my hand on his neck and I wasn't disappointed.

_**I want to be with you until both of our hearts stop beating.**_

"Yes," I told him. "I meant every word." I wrapped my arms around his neck and nuzzled the side of his cheek. I heard the contented rumble in his chest and I smiled happily. He stepped back from me so he could look at me. I placed my hand back on his neck and I could hear the question in his head.

"I don't know how I'm doing it, Jake. But it's incredible. I can understand you when you're a wolf!"

_**Well that's convenient **_he chuckled.

"Do you think this is because you finally imprinted?" I wondered

_**I'm not really sure. As far as I know, Emily can't hear Sam and I definitely don't know about the others. We'll ask Billy about it after we head back into town. I'm glad that you can hear me though **_he grinned goofily. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and he suddenly looked like an overgrown puppy.

I giggled and snuggled back into his fur. Then, reality came rushing back to me and I remembered the reason why we were on the mountain in the first place. "Is it time yet?" I worried aloud.

_**Nothing has made it to the clearing yet, but Alice just said that they'll be there any minute. You can't hear the rest of the pack, can you?**_

I kept my hand on Jacob's neck and focused for a bit, but all I could hear were Jacob's thoughts to them. "No… I just hear what you're saying to them," I said disappointedly.

_**Really? 'Cause Paul is being a real loudmouth right now. It's getting annoying **_he growled.

"Nope. No Paul. Just Jacob."

_**I'll do my best to let you know what's going on.**_

"Thanks, Jake," I hugged him again. It was silent for a few moments and I felt a little uneasy that I couldn't hear any sounds of life around me. The birds were silenced, the insects were hushed, and even the wind seemed to have muted itself. _Something's coming. _Suddenly, I felt Jacob tense up beside me. I heard a menacing growl building in his chest and I knew they had arrived.

_**The pack is hiding in the trees. They want the baby bloodsuckers to think that they've got the Cullens outnumbered. One of them just screamed 'She's here!' Guess that marking of yours paid off after all, Bells. They're running towards the Cullens…getting closer…GO! **_His voice suddenly roared in my head. He must have been "releasing the wolves."

_**Leah just killed two before they even had a chance to react. Gotta love that element of surprise. They're scared but they think they smell you there so they're still coming on. **_

I felt myself tense up with guilt and fear thinking about the vampire family I had grown to love being faced with all the newborns.

_**It's ok, Bells **_he picked up on my mood. _**Everyone's fine. The big one, er… Emmett just snapped one's neck and so did the psychic and the military guy. Sam's going after one now… WATCH OUT, SETH! BEHIND YOU! Nice save, Sam. Seth, pay attention for crying out loud! Ok… six down…no wait, seven—Edward just killed the one Sam ditched to save Seth's hide. The doc got the eighth one that tried to sneak up on his mate. Colin and Brady just ripped one apart together. Nice kill, guys! IIIEEEEPP! **_Jacob suddenly yelped.

"What happened? Who got hurt?" I demanded

_**One snuck up behind Jared and got her arms around him. Paul knocked her off before she could squeeze too tight. Take it easy for a bit, Jared! Ok… that was the tenth. There's only eight left and they look pretty scared. Two just tried to run but Quil and Embry caught them in time. Emmett and the blonde bitchy vamp just took out another together. **_

I tried not to get annoyed with Jake's nicknames for my vampire friends. "Do you see Victoria anywhere?" I whispered fearfully.

_**Umm… no I don't see any redheads. There's a small one that is kneeling beside doc and his wife. But they look like they're protecting her. Hmm…. Ok! Sam and Leah just took out two more. There's two more in the clearing… What? No not, you, Seth! Sam, you go instead! **_

"What did he do?"

_**Edward just took off running for the trees and Seth followed him. Seth says Edward spotted the redhead and her… mate?**_

"Victoria's mate is dead, remember? That's what this is all about," I reminded him.

"_**Where is she?" **_

"Huh?" I asked, puzzled.

_**The redhead asked Edward where you are. He said, "You think I'd tell you?" Seth is circling around her companion. Hold off, Seth. Stay focused and wait for him to drop his guard. Huh… I wonder why he's doing that?**_

"Who's doing what?"

_**Edward is taunting her companion. I guess she told him she loved him or something but Edward is telling him it's been a lie. Trying to get a rise out of him, maybe? Hang on, Seth. This could be your chance. NOW! Good! Ok… the redhead threw herself at Edward right when her companion… Riley, Edward said… tried to go for him too. Seth blocked him though. Victoria keeps trying to land punches on Edward but he's faster than her. Seth's trying to come around from behind Riley…!**_

Jacob yelped again. "Is Seth ok?" I asked frantically.

_**He just got thrashed by Riley's arm. It sounded like it cracked most of his ribs. NO, EDWARD! **_

"What happened to him?" I practically screamed.

_**GO AFTER HER, SETH'S FINE! **_

"Jacob! What happened?"

_**Edward turned when he heard Seth cry out and Victoria knocked him off his feet and took off running. YES! Go, Seth!**_

"Did he get Riley?"

_**Yeah. Riley started to go after Edward but Seth leapt up and tore him to pieces. Edward just ran after the redhead but she got a pretty huge head start. **_

"Is everything settled down in the clearing?"

_**Seth just alerted the pack and they all went running after Edward to see if they can catch up to the redhead. The Cullens have started the bonfire and are burning the bad vamps. **_

"Take me back to the clearing then!" I begged.

_**Are you nuts? The crazy redhead is still out there somewhere!**_

"It sounds like the pack and Edward have it under control. I want to go check on everyone. Please, Jake!" I was worried sick for my friends and I had to see for myself that all was well.

Jacob ducked into the tent, grabbed his shorts, and flicked them at me with his teeth _**…Fine. Climb on my back. We'll come back for the rest of this stuff later. **_

Jacob kneeled down so that I could sling my left leg over his back and sit down. _**Hold on tight to my neck. **_He stood up slowly and I felt like I had the one time in my life when I had been astride a horse. _Let's see if I like travelling via wolf any better. _I gripped his change of clothes tightly in my hand and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding on for dear life as he took off running. I suddenly remembered that the wolves were just as fast as vampires and I closed my eyes tight so that I wouldn't get sick.

I felt the wind blasting through us as Jake ran and I almost wanted to peek to see how fast the trees were blurring by. Remembering my last experience with motion sickness, I quickly changed my mind. After a few minutes, I felt the world around me slow down until Jacob was moving at just a walking pace.

I felt brave enough to open my eyes and I was shocked by the scene around me. Plumes of violet, sweetly-scented smoke drifted up into the sky all around and the Cullens were still throwing chunks of newborn vampire into the flames.

"Bella!" They all exclaimed, pleased to see me safe.

Jacob knelt again so that I could dismount and go talk to my friends.

_**I'm going to go change **_he grumbled before I could take my hand off his neck.

"Thanks, Jake," I told him sincerely.

He exhaled a puff of air, snatched his shorts from my still clenched hand, and took off towards the trees.

"I'm so glad that everyone is alright," I practically cried, running towards the Cullens.

"It wasn't that difficult a fight," Jasper mused.

"We were very lucky," Rosalie agreed.

"Now we just have to wait for Edward to get back from ripping Victoria apart and we'll be set!" Emmet guffawed excitedly.

I took note of the strange vampire cowering on the ground behind Esme and Carlisle. Her eyes were a fierce red and her dark hair fell to her shoulders. She was gripping tightly onto her legs which were cradled to her chest.

"Who…?" I started to ask them.

"This is Bree," Esme answered. "She was the only one of them to surrender."

I turned my eyes back to her, terrified of the wild look in her eyes. _Is this what I would have looked like if I had chosen that path? _I wondered fearfully.

She took note of my examination. "How can you stand it?" she screamed. "I want her so bad! Why aren't you feeding on her?" She turned her wild, feral gaze back to me and I could see the madness in her eyes.

"Because you don't have to waste human lives in order to survive," Carlisle told her. "My family and I feed exclusively on the blood of animals. It's not an ideal diet, but it keeps us strong and fed."

I watched her gaze at Carlisle's glowing, topaz eyes and I knew they looked as foreign to her as they did to me when I first saw them.

I saw something move in my peripheral vision and turned to look. Jacob was coming back from changing and he had his arm across his face blocking his mouth and nose.

"Good God it reeks," he grumbled.

"Do you have a better suggestion for disposing of them then?" Alice asked sweetly.

"No, I guess not," he said defeated.

They waited in awkward silence for a few moments before Edward and Sam's pack flashed into the clearing. Seth joined them too, but from the direction Jacob and I had come. Edward's fists were clenched at his sides and even the wolves had an aura of hostility about them.

"What happened?" I asked quietly.

"She…got…away," he snarled under his breath.

"WHAT?" Jake bellowed. He looked over at Sam for confirmation and the huge, black wolf lowered his head in defeat.

"The pack and I almost had her. She ran towards La Push and I had to get Sam's permission to cross the treaty line with them. We chased her to First Beach but she took off into the water swimming quickly away. Even I can't keep up with her swimming. I tried going after her but she was already out of sight and I couldn't pick up her trail."

"She's still out there…." I murmured. I felt all eyes turn toward me—nine pairs of wolf eyes, seven pairs of yellow vampire eyes, one pair of terrifying blood-red eyes, and one pair of deep brown eyes, the eyes of the man I loved.

"We'll keep you safe, Bella," Carlisle promised.

Suddenly, everyone's eyes were directed to Alice. Her own eyes were lost in thought, or lost in the future, rather. Edward's hands shook and the rest of the family demanded to know what she had seen.

"The Volturi guard is coming here. They'll be here any minute. Jane, Felix, and two other members," Alice whispered.

"We've done nothing wrong so there isn't reason to fear," Carlisle murmured. "However, they don't honor allegiances with werewolves, so Sam, Jacob, friends, you probably want to head home temporarily. We have everything under control."

Sam nodded and he and the rest of the wolves took off running towards La Push. Jacob waited around before I finally met his gaze. "Jake, you need to go too. They know about me but they don't know about you and the rest of the pack. I'll be fine. So please, go on," I pleaded.

I saw the pained look in his eyes. He didn't like the idea of leaving me any more than I did. "Come find me as soon as they leave," he pleaded before running towards the forest.

The Cullens stood tall and Esme and Carlisle grouped themselves around Bree while the rest of the Cullens grouped around me. Out of the mist, I saw Jane, Felix, and two guard members I didn't recognize approaching.

"Well… what has happened here today?" Jane asked innocently.

Carlisle smoothly described all that had happened and about how Victoria had created the newborns to avenge her mate James.

"This one does seem to elicit some strange reactions from our kind, doesn't she?" she indicated me.

"All the more reason for us to protect her, wouldn't you agree?" Carlisle asked.

"I suppose… but, ah! What do we have here?" she asked, gazing at the still terrified Bree.

"This is Bree. She was the only one of Victoria's newborns to surrender, so we will take responsibility for her," Esme said quickly.

"But she's been so terribly naughty," Jane sneered. "It is not for you to decide who is punished and who is spared," she said sweetly.

"Jane," Carlisle pleaded. "We can control her and teach her restraint. She was changed as part of a madwoman's revenge scheme and was seen as disposable. Please let us take responsibility for her."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," she said casually. "The Volturi do not give second chances. Felix!" she gestured. "Take care of that one, please."

Felix moved towards Bree and Edward pulled my head into his chest and told me to close my eyes. After a second, I heard Bree's agonizing scream and then just silence. I heard the sound of rocky pieces falling on each other and I knew Felix had tossed her crumbled remains into the fire.

I felt it was safe to open my eyes, and as I did, I felt Jane's direct gaze upon me. This was the same look she had while she attempted to cause me pain in Volterra.

"Jane, please stop," Edward asked quietly. "You know that doesn't work."

"I know. But one can't help but hope…" she smiled wistfully. "Aro, Caius, and Marcus will certainly be interested to see that she's still human," she drawled as she began to walk out of the clearing.

"The date is set," Alice interjected.

"Hmm… we'll see then, won't we?" she whispered menacingly. She beckoned for Felix and the other guard members to follow her and they disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.

I exhaled quickly, all the tension being released from the encounter.

"We're going to finish cleaning up here and then we'll meet you back at the house, okay?" Esme asked.

"Sure," I agreed. "Edward, could you please take me to Jacob?"

He examined my face for a moment, trying to gauge my mood, and then gathered me into his arms and ran towards the trailhead where he had left the Volvo.

"Where is he?" I asked him quietly.

"He's near the treaty line. We'll just go there."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks." I murmured.

He drove us in silence until we made it to the invisible line that divided Cullen territory from Quileute territory. Jacob was already waiting there, pacing back and forth. I ran to his side and wrapped my arms around him. "Told you I'd be okay," I said.

"I'm glad that you are," he smiled. He looked up at Edward and I noticed the stony look in both of their eyes and braced myself for the inevitable conversation.

"So…" Edward said, gazing mostly at Jacob. "I assume that there are certain matters to discuss?"

_Damn…This won't be fun…_


	6. Farewells

Chapter 6: Farewells

I saw the stony look in both of their eyes and braced myself for the inevitable conversation.

"So…" Edward said, gazing mostly at Jacob. "I assume that there are certain matters to discuss?"

_Damn…This won't be fun…_

"What would you like to discuss, Edward?" Jacob said curtly.

"I would like to know why you are trying as hard as you can to keep me from reading your thoughts, Jacob. Have you done something wrong?" he asked.

"I've done nothing wrong at all. I'm just trying to be the better man," he replied.

"Bella, please tell me what's going on," Edward turned his stony gaze to me.

"Umm…" I began. _Wow. You're off to an excellent start, aren't you? _"I opened up to Jake last night about our discussion from yesterday and how I was really confused about what I wanted to do."

"Yes, and if I remember correctly, we were going to talk through that together today," he interjected.

"Right… well I needed someone else to talk to about it because it was really breaking me down, and Jake added in another option for me: him."

"Of course he did," he coolly flicked his gaze in Jacob's direction.

"Edward, I just couldn't see any of the options you gave me working and making me entirely happy. I didn't feel like I should have to compromise so much with my own future. The option Jake gave me gave me the freedom to love how I wanted, in my own time and on my own terms, and if I ever want kids down the road, he can give them to me."

Edward stared at me blankly for a moment but I didn't miss the flash of hurt behind his stony gaze. "So, you've chosen Jacob then?"

"Yes, Edward. Jacob finally imprinted on me and I've chosen him," I said firmly. Jacob wrapped one arm around me and pulled me closer to him—giving me some moral support.

"Are you entirely certain that this is the life you want, Bella? Is everything we have experienced together a lie?" he flashed his agonized, topaz eyes at me.

"No. It wasn't a lie, Edward. Meeting you changed my life. You opened up my heart and made me a person capable of love. I always loved you Edward. You were my life, but…" I paused and glanced up at Jacob for reassurance, "I found a love that was somehow even stronger than ours. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have thought such a thing would be possible for me. In your world, I discovered things I couldn't have dreamed up or thought to realize, and I found myself getting stronger from it. So, Edward, none of what we shared together was a lie. I'm sorry that I had to realize what I truly wanted while we were still together. I never wanted to hurt you," I met his gaze and hoped that he could see the truth shining in my eyes.

"I told myself that if you chose to stay human for me, that a day might come where you found another person who was able to give you all the human experiences that I could not. I tried to tell myself that I would be okay with it and respect your wishes. I had no idea how this would actually make me feel. It's bittersweet. I'm happy that your soul will still be intact in this world. I'm happy that you're choosing to stay human. I just wish that you had wanted to stay human for me instead of for Jacob."

Jacob shifted his weight uncomfortably—itching to fight and defend what was his, but I patted his arm until he calmed down. "Staying human for you, Edward, would have been a sick joke. Every day I got closer to 20, 40, 60, and 80, you would stay perfectly you—forever seventeen. One of my worst nightmares was the one I had on my 18th birthday. I thought I saw you with my Gran in our meadow, but it was really me at 80!"

"I would have loved you no matter what, Bella. I would have loved you until your heart stopped beating."

"I know. That's why I'm sorry that I couldn't cope with my own vanity and truly believe that you could love me as a wrinkled old woman. I'm sorry I had to hurt you like this, Edward. I'm sorry I had to be selfish," I began to tear up.

"You're human," he said gruffly, "It's in your nature."

"Can you ever forgive me?" I asked him despondently.

He paused and studied my face for a little longer than necessary. It was annoying Jacob—I felt him tense up beside me.

"There isn't anything to forgive as far as I'm concerned," Edward said evenly. "You're doing with your life what I truly wanted—you're staying human and in my eyes, holding on to your soul. As long as your soul exists in this life, I will love you. Even from a distance, if that is where you want me to be. All I want is your happiness and I can clearly see that Jacob makes you happy. He was the one to patch you back together after I abandoned you and maybe he is your true savior," he mused.

"I'm whatever she needs me to be," Jacob finally spoke up. "I'm her protector, her friend, her mate, or any other role she needs me to fill."

"That's answered then. Bella, even though it is against my better judgment to leave you in the care of a mutt, I believe he is capable of protecting someone even as accident-prone as you," he joked bitterly.

"Jake will take care of me," I said firmly.

Another flash of pain suddenly crossed Edward's face and I glanced up at a guilty looking Jacob.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected you to contain your thoughts forever," Edward said angrily. It didn't take too much thought to guess what Jacob had shown Edward—any of the scenes from last night would have had the power to hurt Edward like that. "So, Bella, you're willing to be a werewolf's mate but not a vampire's wife?" he said dejectedly.

I blushed crimson and couldn't find my voice.

"Whatever makes you happy, Isabella," he said. He paused for a moment and finally began again, "Well… all this excitement in one day and it's not even noon. Come on you two. We need to head back to the house and talk to the family since…circumstances have changed—both with us and with Victoria."

I shuddered and a deep feeling of guilt settled into my stomach. I definitely didn't want to have to face The Cullens and tell them that I had broken up with Edward—especially after all they had been through on my behalf. Jacob patted my back apologetically and steered me toward Edward's Volvo. "Everything will be okay, Bells," he leaned down to kiss me gently on the forehead. _I sure hope so _I thought as Edward drove us to the Cullens' house.

The door to the house swung open right when the Volvo pulled into the driveway—they had heard it coming probably from the freeway. As I got out of the car, that uneasy feeling still had a hold of my stomach. I walked toward the familiar house as though I were walking towards the gates of Hell. Jacob steadied me when I felt like my ankles would give out. _You can do this. Think of Jacob. It's all for him…_

Edward reached the door before us and passed by a waiting Esme without a word. "Hello again," she greeted us smiling.

"Hi," I replied weakly.

She looked concerned but beckoned us inside anyway. It seemed strange that a place that used to hold such comfort and peace of mind for me now held nothing but fear and guilt. All the Cullens were already gathered in the living room, casually lounging on the furniture and leaned against the staircase. Alice's eyes were wide with fear—probably because she could no longer see my future. Jacob and I settled onto the empty loveseat and prepared for the awkwardness that would soon follow.

"Well then everyone, what is it that we need to talk about?" Carlisle asked.

I glanced over at Edward who was still standing. Would he talk first or would I? I guess he sensed my discomfort and he started for me.

"It seems that there has been a change of…affection," Edward said slowly. When his family looked at him with confused eyes, he continued. "It seems that Jacob has imprinted on Bella and that she has chosen to be with him instead of me."

The Cullens simultaneously gasped and searched our faces questioningly.

"I can't be angry," he added. "I've seen the pack's thoughts through Jacob's mind, and the level of devotion and love a wolf can offer his imprint is…irresistible. Bella was already in love with him. She has been ever since we left her a year ago. I can feel the pull that Bella has for Jacob in his thoughts and it's unlike anything I've ever seen before—like his entire world revolves around her."

"I would do anything for Bella," Jacob said solemnly.

"I guess…that we can't be angry either," Esme began slowly. "You are human after all, Bella, and it's only natural for you to want to live a human life. We love you no matter how you choose to live—you've made quite an impression on us all," she smiled gently.

I scanned the room to see how my friends were holding up. Jasper still looked pained from thirst, Emmett looked somber, Rosalie looked…happy, Carlisle smiled with Esme, Edward still had that stony look in his eye, and Alice looked sad. Very sad.

"Alice?" I asked quietly. "You don't hate me now, do you?" I was genuinely worried that my closest girl friend would no longer talk to me again.

"I'm…disappointed," she began slowly. "I saw how you would be as an immortal, and it was a life that was perfectly suited to you. However, I also want your every happiness and if you've chosen the dog, then I wish you the best. I'm just anxious because I can't see your future at all anymore. As long as you're with Jacob, I won't be able to see how you are at all."

"You could just come visit me or call like normal people do," I began.

"I'm not sure…Edward will probably want us to leave," she said uncertainly.

"No! Please don't you all leave me again. I still love you and you mean the world to me. It was terrible after you left, thinking that you had never existed at all," I pleaded.

"It's time for us to move on anyway," Edward said stoically. "Carlisle is much too young-looking to pass for 30 anymore. It's just our time to move on."

"But we'll still be in touch. We won't completely be gone," Esme interjected quickly. "I mean… if that's what everyone wants." I knew when she said "everyone" that only meant Edward.

"If Bella still wants us to be in touch, then we will. We won't abandon her again," Edward said firmly.

"I definitely do want you to stay in touch," I said genuinely. "You will always be my friends and I owe my life to you several times over."

My friends smiled at me gently and I suddenly had a strange feeling. "You had another reason for wanting to leave already, didn't you?" I asked blankly.

The golden-eyed vampires exchanged quick glances before Edward finally spoke up. "I always forget how perceptive you are, Bella. I spoke with Sam before we left the clearing. He feels that they can handle protecting Forks and La Push on their own if Victoria is the only one left. If that's the case, we will spend our time tracking elsewhere and trying to find her before she makes it back here again. We're not going to let her harm you. And I feel confident that a ten-man wolf pack is enough to keep even you safe from harm."

I heard Jacob snicker next to me. He'd have fun telling Leah how much of a man she was later on.

"What about the Volturi?" I asked frantically. "They still think I'm going to become a vampire."

"Edward still feels that Demetri, their tracker, won't be able to find you. With us away from Forks, it will make it increasingly harder for them to locate you. Your human years may be over before they think to check on you again. Sixty, seventy years of your human life are merely a blink of an eye to creatures as old as the Volturi," Carlisle mused.

"And I will always be waiting to see their decisions," Alice said confidently. "If they try to send anyone for you, I will see it and we'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

I nodded, my thoughts calmed for now. "When will you leave?" I asked quietly.

Carlisle stepped forward and replied, "Most likely tomorrow. We will spend the rest of today packing our belongings that will travel with us and storing those that will stay here. I need to give notice to the hospital that I have gotten a job elsewhere and must leave immediately."

"So… is it goodbye for now?" I asked sadly.

"I'm afraid so, Bella," Esme replied. "But we will still be in touch, just like you wanted," she promised.

I nodded, trying to hold back my tears. I walked around to each of my friends and embraced them as hard as I could without hurting my arms against their stone bodies. When I reached Jasper, I stared at him hesitantly. I wasn't sure if I should try to hug him or not. I knew how difficulty interacting with humans was for him. I felt his calming mood float around me like mist and he stepped forward to close the distance between us. He embraced me gently for a moment before stepping away. I was so touched that he endured the pain just for me. "Goodbye for now, Bella," he said gently.

I hugged Alice and breathed in her beautiful floral scent. "You'll always be my sister, no matter what," she whispered in my ear. I felt the tears spilling over as I hugged her and held onto her until she shifted uncomfortably.

"Sorry," I blubbered. I made it around to Edward who I also stared at hesitantly. _I can't expect him to want a hug from me. I broke his heart _I told myself sadly. He finally stepped forward to embrace me and I inhaled his sweet smell for the last time.

"I will always love you, Isabella Swan. You changed my…existence for the better," he whispered in my ear.

The tears that were slowly streaming down my face picked up speed and I felt I might choke on them. "I'm so sorry I hurt you," I whispered back.

He smiled weakly. "You'll be happy now—happier than I could have ever made you. Knowing you'll live your life human and with your soul, I couldn't ask for more."

He turned his eyes back to Jacob. I saw a flash of anger in them for a moment, but they finally sunk in defeat. "You take care of her, Jacob Black. If anything happens to her on your watch, I can't guarantee that I won't come find you and rip you to shreds," he growled quietly.

Jacob nodded and steered me toward the door of the Cullen house. Edward threw Jacob the keys to the Volvo and said he'd pick it up from Charlie's later in the afternoon. "Goodbye, Bella," they chorused as I walked out the door.

After Jacob helped me into the passenger seat of the car, I looked up at the beautiful house that held so many memories for me. I cried to myself and wondered when I would ever see it again. Jacob took my hand and I looked over at his concerned face.

"You did great, Bells. Everything will be okay," he said confidently.

"I'm just glad they're not going to disappear of the face of the earth again," I replied. Knowing that they would always be around somewhere, whenever I wanted to talk to them made me feel exponentially better as we headed down their long driveway.

We rode in silence until Jacob reached the end and we were facing the freeway. "Where to now, my lady?" he teased.

I thought for a moment. "Let's go see Charlie. I haven't seen him in a couple of days and we'll need to let him know."

"Let him know what?" he asked.

"That I'm going to be with you forever," I smiled.

"He'll like that," he smiled warmly as we made our way to see my father.


	7. Together

Chapter 7: Together

"You ready?" Jacob asked me as we stood outside my front door.

"Yes…let's do this," I smiled. He squeezed my hand once and I opened the door to the small house where I lived with Charlie. As always, my father was perched in his recliner watching TV. He looked at me as I came inside and seemed extremely surprised by my guest.

"Jacob! It's great to see you! So you two are getting along again?" he smiled warmly.

"You could say that, Charlie," he replied.

I steered Jacob over to the couch across from my father and we sat down. It felt nice to sink into the familiar, comfy cushions after such an exhausting day. _This is the easy part _I told myself. _Talking to Edward and the other Cullens was the worst of it. Charlie loves Jacob. _

"So…what's up with you guys, Bells?" Charlie scrutinized how closely we were sitting together. I was suddenly thankful that Alice had slipped me some makeup to cover up the two faint bruises coming in on my neck before we left her house. _Those would have been difficult to explain…_

"Well, Dad, Edward and I had a bit of a falling out after he got back from his camping trip," I said smoothly, remembering the alibi Alice told Charlie.

Charlie didn't look particularly surprised that Edward and I had a problem, but he did look concerned about me. I knew he hoped with every fiber of his existence that the Bella-less Edward from the year before would never make another appearance. I knew how much I had hurt him and how many nights he had worried about me. _You don't have to worry anymore, Dad._

"Oh," he finally grunted. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked awkwardly.

"Not about any of the specifics," I replied, "but we just decided we wanted different things for the future and things couldn't work out the way we both wanted them to," I said slowly.

"I see…does that mean that they're leaving town again?" he asked. I could tell he liked the idea of Edward being out of my life, but he wanted to make sure I was okay with him leaving.

"They're packing their things even as we speak," I replied. "Carlisle got a different job offer and it's in another smaller town since Esme hated the big city so much."

"And you're okay with this?" he asked incredulously.

"I'll miss them," I said sadly, "but they'll still be in touch."

"This disagreement with Edward must have been pretty fierce if you're not very upset about him leaving," Charlie noted.

I squeezed Jacob's hand and scooted a little closer to him. Charlie's eyes scanned the two of us and I could almost hear the click in his head as recognition sparked in his eyes.

"I found someone who made me happier and who wanted the same things I did," I smiled and locked eyes with Jacob.

"All this happened in two days time?" Charlie asked suspiciously.

"I've been in love with Jake ever since he pieced me back together last year. I just didn't let myself realize it until now. Jacob came to get me after I finished discussing things with the Cullens and it's like everything just fell into place."

I saw Charlie's eyes brighten with happiness. I knew he would be excited. He always thought hat Jacob was better for me and he felt affirmed in his beliefs as he saw Jacob gradually mend my shattered heart. I was practically soulless and dead, and Jacob made me human again.

"Well… I can't say that I'm not happy about this. I'm thrilled for you," he beamed. "I should have guessed how much you loved him when you punched him in the face for kissing you," he chortled.

I blushed scarlet remembering my attack on Jacob. I regretted trying to hurt him, but he had struck a nerve with my confusion and it seemed the only way out at the time.

Jacob laughed at my embarrassment and squeezed my hand again. "It's okay, Bells. I'm not mad about it one bit. I'm just happy that I was right," he winked.

Charlie chuckled again in contentment and I enjoyed seeing the warmth and pride on his face. _Daddy knows best, after all _I joked to myself.

"Charlie, I think we need to head to La Push and tell my dad the news," Jacob said suddenly.

"That's fine," he said. "Tell him the good news and then why don't you all come back here and we'll have pizza for dinner. Bella has spent enough time in the kitchen and she's earned a break," he winked at me.

"That sounds great, dad," I grinned.

"Well go on then. See you back soon," he called as we left the room.

As soon as we were back outside, Jacob and I exchanged triumphant smiles and he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Ow, Jake," I breathed.

"Sorry," he smiled. I returned it quickly, so happy that the afternoon was getting better. I breathed in the late afternoon air and was thankful that the day was so warm. _Everything is coming together. _

We both looked up and noticed that Edward had already come for the Volvo. _I wonder how much of the conversation in there he heard, _I wondered sadly. Jacob rubbed my back as though he could hear what I was thinking and gently steered me towards my truck.

Jacob insisted that he would drive, and honestly, I was too tired to argue with him. We pulled into his yard and I had hopped out of the truck before Jake silenced the deafening roar of my ancient truck's engine. He slammed the door a little harder than necessary and I felt the need to scold him.

"Geez, Jacob. Have some respect. My truck's a senior citizen," I teased.

"How thoughtless of me," he mused. "I'll remember to smear some hemorrhoid cream on the bumper before we go back to Charlie's," he said sincerely.

"Gross! You're an ass," I laughed. I hit him gently on his arm, remembering how my last assault on him resulted in a cracked knuckle.

"As long as I'm yours," he winked playfully.

I was so happy that Jacob was this lighthearted again. He hadn't truly been my Jacob since before his transformation. He had been Sam's Jacob for the longest time—dark, brooding, full of hatred, regret, and unrequited feelings for me. Now, he was all mine again.

I grabbed his hand as we walked up the ramp to his front door and he let himself inside. Billy was already in the tiny living room watching TV just like Charlie had been. Like Charlie, Billy seemed surprised at his child's guest of the afternoon.

"Well hello, Bella," he said warmly. "What brings you down this way?" However, right after he asked his question, he took note of our joined hands and beamed at both of us. "It happened," he said.

"Finally," Jake affirmed. He and Billy exchanged ecstatic grins and Billy pulled his tower of a son into a tight hug. Jake seated me on the couch next to his father and he pulled up a footstool for himself.

"How did this happen?" Billy asked.

Jacob explained as much as he could about my disagreement with Edward to his father. He knew I was exhausted from explaining myself today. I was grateful for the break.

"I see," he nodded. "Once she was able to let go of all of her feelings for the Cullen, she was able to make her heart open to you. It normally doesn't work that way," he mused. "I mean, look at poor Sam and Leah," he frowned. "They were happy together and then Sam imprinted on Emily even though he was in love with Leah. Edward's ties to Bella must have been something quite comparable to imprinting if you were delayed so long, Jacob."

"I don't care how it happened," Jake declared. "I'm just glad that we're together now," he smiled at me.

I felt like there was something I had forgotten and I sat in silence while Jacob and his father conversed some more about imprinting. _Oh yeah…_

"Billy," I said suddenly. "We found out today that I'm able to hear Jake's thoughts when he is a wolf. Only when I touch him though," I added. "Is that normal?"

Billy grinned at me. "It's only normal for the alpha of the pack. My grandmother was able to hear Ephraim Black's thoughts when he was phased too. That just proves that Jacob is the true alpha," he beamed.

"Well that's something," Jacob said, stunned.

"It was certainly useful though," I added.

"When did the pack make it back to the rez?" Jacob asked. "I haven't phased since we left the clearing."

"They made it back around noon," Billy answered. "Sam called a brief council meeting and filled us in on what happened. Half of the pack is staying here to rest and refuel while the other half is on patrol. They were told by the Cullens that all of the newborn vampires were gone, but they wanted to make sure the vampire royalty left the area as promised."

I shuddered remembering the encounter with the Volturi guard.

"I'm glad everyone made it back okay," Jacob sighed.

"I am too," Billy agreed. "So, kids, did anything bring you here besides the good news?" he questioned.

"Actually, yes," I replied. "Charlie wants us all to come back to the house for pizza. I'm sure he wants a buddy to watch tonight's game with," I teased.

"Free food and Charlie's flatscreen? I'm in," he beamed. Without another word, Billy transferred himself into his wheelchair and was already excitedly wheeling himself out to my truck.

"Gotta love the old man," Jacob grinned.

I smiled and followed a suddenly ravenous Jacob out to the truck. _Time to feed my wolf…_

When we arrived back at my house, the sun was beginning to dip below the trees. _What a day this has been _I thought. Jacob grabbed Billy's wheelchair out of the truck bed and helped him maneuver up the steps of my house. I let us in and Charlie grinned at our arrival. I saw a stack of four pizzas on the kitchen table and started to go serve everyone.

"Bella go sit down," Charlie scolded. "I'm perfectly capable of placing pizza onto plates."

"We'll see about that," I muttered.

"Jacob, these two are for you," he gestured to the two pizzas stacked by themselves. I saw that Charlie clearly remembered the last pizza night when Jacob cleared out one of the two pizzas all by himself. Jacob laughed and thanked my father for the food.

Billy and Charlie situated themselves in front of the TV, but Jacob and I stayed at the kitchen table to eat.

"What a day this has been," I sighed.

"Are you happy though?" Jacob asked me, his brows furrowed in concern.

"I'm beyond happy," I grinned. "After being with you today around Billy and Charlie, I can't believe that I was willing to throw it all away. I'm so happy that I get to keep our parents and my regular human friends in my life."

"Even that creepy Newton kid?" Jake asked incredulously.

"Yes, Jacob. My life would have been a dark hole of despair and misery without Mike Newton around," I said solemnly.

I saw his mouth twitch in annoyance and I leaned over to kiss him. "I'm happy most of all, that I get to keep you forever," I smiled, kissing him again. He returned my kiss and we lost track of time, reveling in our mutual happiness.

We broke apart when Jacob heard Billy rolling back towards the kitchen for more pizza. He flashed Jacob a father-like look and Jake grinned sheepishly. When Billy returned to the front room, we finished our pizza—Jacob finishing his two whole ones in the time it took me to finish two slices.

After dinner, we went into the living room to join our fathers and we cuddled on the couch while they watched the rest of the game. As I snuggled into Jacob's shoulder, I smiled to myself at all the promise of the future—a life of familiarity, comfort, and ease with my Jacob. _Human life is precious. I wouldn't trade it now for anything._ I heard Jacob beginning to snore next to me and I found my eyelids drooping too. Images of our life together flashed through my mind as I peacefully drifted to sleep.

**AN: Hello all! Just wanted to let you know that I really am going to try my hardest to keep updating the story regularly. I know how irritating it is to get hooked on a Fanfic that hardly ever gets updated. I doubt I'll be able to keep the pace I've kept this week (I've been sick and have had a lot of free time) but I will try to add at least one chapter per week. I'm in my final two years of college doing a double major in Linguistics and Speech Therapy and the workload has definitely picked up. Thank you so much for reading my story and I'm so happy about all the positive reviews it's gotten so far. Love you guys! -Mimi (Keep those reviews coming!)**


	8. Changes

Chapter 8: Changes

_**Two years later-**__**Jacob's POV**_

"Jacob Ephraim Black…"

I stood up slowly and tried to remember the way we had rehearsed things. _Walk over to stage, shake hands, grab diploma, smile, exit stage, return to seat. _I trudged towards the stage trying to ignore the stares of the crowd around me. _There are way too many people here for six graduates. _It seemed like the whole reservation had turned out to support Quileute Tribal School's newest graduating class. I glanced back at Quil who had just taken his seat and smiled at the rest of my fellow graduates: Embry, Paul, Jared, and Jared's imprint, Kim. They returned my smile happily as I crossed the stage to shake the principal's hand.

"Congratulations, Jacob," he smiled as he handed me my high school diploma.

I heard the cheers and shouts all around me in the tiny gymnasium and my eyes scanned the crowd as I crossed to the other side of the stage. I saw the familiar faces of my tribe but there was only one face I truly wanted to see. I sighed once I spotted her in the mass of cheering Quileutes. I saw her sitting next to Charlie, applauding with the others, and she beamed back at me, pleased that I met her gaze.

Ever since the night I had imprinted on Bella, I felt the breath being knocked out of me every time I saw her face. It was still hard to believe that someone so beautiful chose me and wanted me with her forever. Our connection seemed amazing—as if the spirits had made her especially for me.

I found it hard to break our gaze as I exited the stage and returned to my seat. It only took one minute and thirty seconds for the other four graduates to cross the stage. _Small school, shorter graduation than Bella's _I thought smugly. As soon as I thought this, Kim took the stage to deliver the Valedictorian's speech. I waited impatiently for her to finish so that I could go to Bella. However, I had to endure additional speeches from our Salutatorian, Embry, from the principal, and from a guest speaker from the Makah reservation. My dad even took the stage.

"As chief of the tribe, I commend all of our graduates, their families, and their teachers for all the hard work it took to get here. You have all made us very proud and we can't wait to see where the spirits guide you throughout your life," he smiled. I thought I saw him get a little teary-eyed when he met my eyes. _Oh geez, Dad. Don't cry. _

The crowd cheered enthusiastically after Dad's speech and I thought the ceremony was finally over. I was wrong. I saw two of the preschool teachers leading the school's seven 4-5 year-olds out on the stage. Quil's four-year-old imprint Claire was among them and I got annoyed with his gooey-eyed stare at her pretty quickly. _Hurry up so I can go see Bella _I grumbled.

The kids were dressed in traditional Quileute clothes and the teachers led them in one of our tribal songs. They fidgeted during the whole song and kept looking around at the many faces of the reservation watching them. Their small voices still managed to fill the whole gym and I watched teary smiles wash over the faces of many in the crowd.

The song, one of our oldest, was about saying goodbye to youth and embracing adulthood. Our ancestors sang the song to the Quileute boys right before their first hunts. In those days, we were made to grow up much sooner. _I had to do my growing up two years ago when I phased. Guess my childhood got cut short too _I thought bitterly. I had come to terms with my fate over the past two years, but I still wondered from time to time what life would have been like without claws and fur. _Would Bella still love me? Would we have ended up together? _These kinds of questions forced me back into reality—a reality that I couldn't have dreamed up for myself. _Bella loves me and only me. I couldn't ask for more in this world than that._

As the tykes finished up the song, I was surprised to find some moisture pooling around my eyes—just like the eyes of all the Quileutes around me. _I guess growing up is one thing everyone can relate to. It happens whether we like it or not _ I thought, remembering my transformation.

After the crowd erupted in cheers for the well-loved song, a squealing Claire dove off the stage and attached herself to Quil's leg. He scooped her up in his arms and gave her a big hug.

"Great job, Qwil!" she giggled.

"You too, Claire. Why don't you ever sing like that for me?" he teased.

Claire buried her face in Quil's chest in embarrassment and mumbled something unintelligible. I smiled at the pair of them. It was one of the few times that their gooeyness didn't bother me. _They've grown on me. _I glanced past Quil and Claire and saw Jared and Kim stalking out of gym hand-in-hand. I could feel the happiness radiating off of them and it only made me want to find Bella even more.

As the crowd flooded the gym floor to congratulate everyone, I saw Embry run to embrace his mom. I felt a sharp pang in my chest—feeling the void that had been in my heart since Mom died nine years ago. I always wondered if she could see what I was doing and what was going on in my life. I liked to think that she could. _I hope you're proud of me, Mom. I've taken care of Dad, I've done my best to be a decent human being even though supernatural genetics interfered a bit, and I've found a soul mate who you would definitely be happy about._

Mom loved Bella when she would come play with me when were little tykes. Rachel and Rebecca were beginning to outgrow her and she missed spending time with girls. Bella would beg Mom to braid her hair and she was only too happy to obey her. The knowledge that Mom at least knew the love of my life made me feel much better.

I looked all around me, desperately trying to find Bella in the swarm of enthusiastic Quileutes. Suddenly, I smelled strawberries—the deliciously familiar scent of the woman I loved. I spun around and saw her smiling up at me. Her chocolate eyes shone with happiness and I couldn't help but pull her into a tight embrace. Her feet were dangling in the air from where I had lifted her off the ground.

"Congrats, Jake," she murmured in my ear.

"I love you, Bells."

"And I love you," she replied.

I heard titters from the people around us and reluctantly placed Bella back on the ground. _Guess we did look pretty funny _ I snickered.

"What's so funny?" she asked me suspiciously.

"The fact that you're so tiny," I teased.

"Hey! 5'5" is a perfectly respectable height," she smacked my arm playfully. "Your freakishly tall self just makes me look like a munchkin."

"The comparison is what's funny I guess," I smiled.

It looked like Charlie had already located Dad and they were both headed our way. Our relationship had only brought them closer together and it made us feel good that they were so happy about their kids.

"Jake! Congratulations!" Charlie called.

"Thanks, Chief," I grinned. I looked down at my dad and noticed that he was still teary-eyed. "Dad," I groaned, "Please don't cry. I'm still your little boy and all that."

"I'm just so proud of you, son," he grabbed my hand. "Your mother would be just as proud."

_He can't read my thoughts, can he? _"I know. Thanks, Dad," I said quietly. I felt light pressure on my other hand. Bella had sensed my sadness and tried to comfort me.

Dad squeezed my hand again and just as quickly as they had arrived, his tears were gone. "So, Charlie," he began, "The game is on tonight. You doing anything?"

_Geez, Dad. Way to be subtle. I need to just save up and get the old man his own flat screen so he doesn't look like the constant mooch. _Charlie didn't seem to mind Dad's disguised self-invitation. _He likes the company too _I smiled. I heard Bella chuckle softly beside me. Our dads were crack-ups. Charlie proceeded to invite us over to the house for the game and a celebratory pizza for me.

"Yeah, come on over," she agreed. "I'll cook dinner. We need to lay off the pizza, guys," she scolded jokingly.

My stomach picked the perfect moment to gurgle embarrassingly. Charlie, Dad and Bella's eyes widened after they heard the sound, but they quickly laughed at my stomach's demand for food.

"Let's go on then," Bella snickered.

I eagerly followed her out the door and to the parking lot. _Guess this really will be a great day _I smiled to myself.

_**Bella's POV**_

"WHOOOO!"

I laughed at the screams of excitement coming from the living room. _Boys…. You wouldn't think that two of them are dads. _I had banished Jacob from the kitchen to join our dads so that I could cook in peace. While I normally liked to have him around when cooking, I felt that he needed to spend some more time with his dad. He had grumbled a bit when I sent him away, but I silenced the groans with a kiss. I had giggled at the goofy look on his face when I broke away—his eyes glassy, mouth hanging open. _He'll get over being kicked out. Just wait 'til he tries this._

I decided that the boys could have their pizza, but I was going to make it myself. I dug through Grandma Swan's old cookbook and found a recipe for a deep dish pizza you make in a casserole dish. I had fun chopping up the green peppers, onions for it and kneading the dough. _It's like the preschool era of playing with play-dough _I smiled. Once everything was assembled, I popped the pizza in the oven and went to go join the boys for a bit.

I plopped down next to Jake who strangely seemed to be just as into the game as our dads. _That's what you get for banishing him _I told myself. He squeezed my hand gently and finally met my gaze. I cocked my head to the side questioningly and he gave me a surreptitious wink that sent shivers down my spine. _It appears I am forgiven _I sighed in relief.

Ever since it happened, I found myself frequently thinking about the night Jacob imprinted on me. My entire world changed that night. It sounded corny to think it but colors really did seem more vivid with Jacob as my sun. Everything I did had a purpose and every day was brighter just because I knew that Jacob loved me and only me. Being with him was so effortless—we knew each other inside and out.

I was so happy that Jacob was finally through with high school. I had been waiting anxiously the past few weeks because I had already finished college and was ready to settle down with him. I didn't want to leave Forks and be away from Jacob, so I had started working towards an English Literature degree online. My advisor told me it would be hell to try to do in two years, but my abnormal work ethic got me through it just fine. I was still looking for a job, but for the time being, Charlie was in no hurry to kick me out. _That might change when I tell him I want to look for a place to live with Jake _I chewed on my bottom lip nervously.

It had been tough ever since we told our dads we were a couple because they seemed to make sure we didn't have many opportunities to be…alone together. I didn't know if Dad was just trying to "protect my virtue" or if he just enjoyed frustrating me, but we only really got to be together on days when Billy and Charlie went fishing. _That will all be over once we move in together _ I smirked. I then lost myself in daydreams of exactly what I would do to Jacob Black once we made the move.

_**DING!**_

I quickly snapped out of my fantasies and went to retrieve the pizza from the oven. _I don't mean to brag, but this smells amazing _I thought proudly. The boys must have thought so too because they were already seated at the table when I turned back around. I giggled and brought the dish over to the table. I served their plates and sat down to start on mine. Suddenly, I heard an ear-splitting burp and shot Jacob a dirty look.

"What?" he asked incredulously.

"You're disgusting," I smacked his arm playfully.

"Hey hey, just take it as a compliment," he grinned devilishly. "More please?"

I shook my head and piled another helping onto his already clean plate.

"This is delicious, Bella," Billy said kindly. "Your grandma sure had some good recipes."

"Yeah… she did," Dad said with a faraway look. "I'm just astounded that Bella is able to cook her recipes even better than she did," he praised.

I felt myself turning red from all the praise being thrown my way.

"Bells is an awesome cook," Jake mumbled with his mouth full.

We all burst out laughing at Jacob and he pretended to have his feelings hurt while he downed his third soda.

"Thanks again, Bella," they chorused once they had polished off the whole dish.

"No problem," I beamed, thrilled that they had enjoyed it.

Billy rubbed his hands over his stomach, contentedly full, and suddenly looked at Jacob and then me.

"Jacob, son, I think it's time I told you about your graduation present," Billy started.

"Present? Aww… come on, Dad. I told you I didn't want anything," Jake said guiltily.

"This isn't costing me a thing," he assured him. "You've been given a lot to deal with these past few years," he said knowingly, "and I'm proud of the man you've become because of it. You've proven yourself to be responsible and I want to reward your hard work and dedication to the tribe. I'm giving you T'lópa Cabin."

Jake gasped all of a sudden and I didn't understand why. "T'lópa Cabin?" I asked, confused, "What is that?"

"It was my great-grandfather Ephraim's home. T'lópa means 'green' in Quileute. It has a green roof and is pretty tucked into the forest," Jake said blankly.

"TLOH-puh," I tried.

"Right," he nodded. He turned his gaze back to his father, "Dad, the cabin? Really? I don't deserve it," he said, still shocked at Billy's generous gift.

"You've been grown up for a while now and you need your own space. You've taken care of me long enough. Believe it or not, I can take care of myself," he smiled warmly at his son, the wrinkles creased in the corners of his eyes.

I looked over and saw Jacob's eyes shining with moisture. I knew he wouldn't cry in front of my dad, but he was so overwhelmed with the news. "Thank you so much, Dad," he said with feeling.

"Wow, Jacob," Charlie said. "Your old man must think the world of you," he winked.

Charlie began asking Billy questions about Ephraim's cabin and I took the opportunity to drag Jacob outside with me. We strolled a little ways into the woods and I threw my arms around his neck.

"I'm so happy for you, Jake," I gushed.

"T'lópa Cabin was meant to be the home for the Alpha and his mate," Jacob mused. He kissed my head distractedly, lost in thought. "I thought for sure that once I had given up the job that Sam and Emily would get the cabin."

"You're the true Alpha though," I grinned. "Remember, Chief Jacob?"

"It seems that way," he replied.

I left my arms around him while I gave him time to think. I traced patterns on his back with my finger while I waited. Finally, he brought his lips down to mine and gave me a heartbreakingly sweet kiss. I felt so warm in the arms of my werewolf and I thought if I were capable of glowing, I would be shining from the sheer amount of happiness coursing through me.

"The Alpha and his mate," he whispered in my ear. I shivered and realized excitedly that the time to start my life with Jacob had finally arrived. "Does Miss Swan want to set up house with her werewolf?" he smirked.

I leaped into his arms and kissed him ecstatically. "It's about time," I growled, pressing my lips fiercely back to his.

His chuckle reverberated in my mouth and he kissed me with equal force. He held me in his arms for a while, cradling me close to his chest. "Are you ready?" he whispered.

"For what?" I mumbled incoherently.

"To tell Charlie that you're moving to La Push," he replied, grinning.

I paused and thought it over. "You know how you're kind of unbreakable and how you heal really quickly?" I asked him.

"Yeah…" he said slowly.

"You better be counting on that," I said grimly.

Jacob barked out a laugh and set me down beside him. "The only human I fear now," he teased. He grabbed my hand and pulled me excitedly towards the house.

_I guess tonight is the best night to tell Dad—while there are witnesses present…_

**AN: Hey everyone! I'm back after a bit of an absence. Sorry for the delay! This chapter is a little bit different from the others because Bella and Jake do a lot of reflecting on what we've missed the past two years. I'm not as good at writing from Jake's POV as I am from Bella's, but I hope it sounded enough like him. What did you think?**

**Also, one announcement: For this chapter and probably for the next few, I'll be posting pictures in a Photobucket album that relate to the chapter somehow. You can find the link to it at the bottom of my profile. The main album is made of pictures of places from the Twilight world that won't spoil the later chapters in any way. I'll post any chapter-specific photos in sub albums that you can check out whenever you're ready to see them. **

**Thanks so much for your support and please let me know how I'm doing! -Mimi**


	9. Moving

**Disclaimer: This chapter contains explicit content so skip over this one if you'd rather not read it. I'll gladly post an edited down version for anyone who asks. -Mimi**

Chapter 9: Moving

We were still giggling excitedly when we entered the living room. By now, Billy and Charlie were more than used to our silly behavior when we were together, so they thought nothing of our shining faces. Jake was still clutching my hand tightly. He looked over at me knowingly—trying to encourage me to speak up. I knew that this would not be fun for Charlie, but he loved Jacob like his own son, so he couldn't be too worried about me.

"Dad," I began, "I want to thank you so much for being a great father to me. I've loved getting to know you better since I've moved to Forks and I am glad that we've bonded so well."

Charlie immediately turned beet red and stammered uncomfortably, "Well, Bella…I'm really glad you came here too. It's been nice not being lonely as hell all the time. Not to mention the food quality has improved," he teased, eyes shining. He fidgeted a bit before meeting my gaze again, "Having you back in my life has been the best thing to happen to me in years, Bella."

He wiped some moisture away from his eyes and I felt some of my own running down my cheeks. "Dad, you know that I love Jacob, don't you?" I asked him gently.

He chuckled quietly, "I suspected you loved him when you'd play together as little tykes. I knew for sure that you loved him the day you punched him in the face for kissing you."

Billy, Jacob, and Charlie all chortled together and even I found myself smiling at the once embarrassing memory.

"Anyway," I redirected the conversation, "I've finished high school, I've gotten the college degree I wanted, and now I want Jacob," I said strongly. I could sense the smile on Jacob's face when I spoke and I was glad that he wanted me too.

Charlie froze and looked between the pair of us frantically before glancing at Billy questioningly. Billy shrugged at Charlie's silent question, implying, _It's up to you. You're her dad. _

While Charlie tried to regain his composure, Jake tried to meet his gaze. "Charlie, you know how much I love Bella. You know that we're not impulsive, irresponsible teenagers. Bella is a grown, fully capable adult now and I'm already the spiritual leader of the tribe."

Charlie's eyes widened when Jacob revealed his position among the Quileutes. "Leader? I had no idea…" he murmured. "But you're so young…"

Billy spoke up to defend his son, "You and I both know that Jake has been grown up since Sarah died." Billy and Jacob both lowered their eyes in sadness remembering their beloved wife and mother. "He's had to take care of me, the upkeep of our house, and now he's a leader of our people. If you don't think he's mature by now, then you need to take a harder look."

Charlie sighed in defeat. He could see that we really weren't the cherub-cheeked "little tykes" he remembered from years ago. I saw the pain in his eyes when he looked at me and thought about me leaving. "Bella," he began slowly, "Are you really ready to get married? You're still so young."

"Dad, I'm not ready to get married just yet. I want to move in with Jacob, take things slowly, and get there eventually," I said casually.

I could see him getting even more uncomfortable, his fidgeting increasing exponentially as time ticked on.

"This is the 21st century. I think I'm making a smarter decision to take things slowly than to immediately rush into an institution that I have seen end in disaster more times than not." The minute I said this, I immediately felt guilty for bringing up his marriage to my mother that definitely did not end well.

He exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself. "Bella, I understand where you're coming from. I really do. I just…feel terrible that you think so poorly of marriage just because of what happened between Renee and me. There's so much good that can come of it too."

"I don't doubt it. I just want to figure these things out for myself and get there at my own pace. Is that too much for me to ask?"

"I guess not," he conceded.

I smiled gently at Charlie's stubborn ways—the same ones I inherited from him. "I won't be travelling to another planet or anything," I teased. "I'll just be in La Push. And we'll visit whenever you want."

He finally met my gaze again and managed a weak smile. "I _am _happy for you, Bella. I know Jake will take care of you and that you'll both be very happy." He reached out to pull me into an awkward hug—a surprising gesture for Charlie. He redirected his gaze toward Jacob and I knew all too well what was coming next.

"Jacob," he started, "you _will _take care of Bella and if I find out that you've hurt her in any way, even the tiniest bit, I'll temporarily forget that I'm the sheriff of this town and I'll find you."

I tried not to picture a menacing, snarling wolf on one side of me and a gun-wielding sheriff on the other. _Jacob could definitely take Dad in a fight, though I know he'd never hurt him._

"My son is not like that Cullen boy," Billy said coldly. "Our people are loyal and protect those they love from whatever finds them. And they certainly aren't deserters."

Charlie raised his brows in surprise at Billy's statement. "Sorry, Billy. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just the speech a father is supposed to give to the man he is entrusting his daughter to," he smiled in earnest at Jacob.

Jacob grabbed me in one of his tight, off-ground hugs and spun me around excitedly. As soon as he put me down, I ran toward Charlie and gave him the biggest hug I could ever remember giving him. "Thank you so much, dad! I love you so much," I gushed.

"You too, Bells," he said, straining against his tears.

Jacob stepped forward to hug Charlie as well. I saw Charlie's hand tightly grasp the fabric of Jake's shirt and then relax into an awkward back pat. _He'll come around _I smiled. Jacob also reached down to hug his father and I saw Billy slip a set of keys into Jake's pocket.

"Go check things out," Billy smiled happily. "I'll stay here a bit and get your dad something good and strong to drink, Bella," he winked.

"Thanks!" we called in unison as we sprinted out the door. I caught a glimpse of Charlie waving weakly at us before the door closed all the way. _I love you, dad._

In his extreme excitement, Jacob pushed my poor truck all the way to its limits on the way to T'lópa Cabin. We passed the familiar stretch of civilization near the coast in La Push and finally turned off on a gravel road that cut wildly through the dense forest. We drove in silence, still high on anticipation, and spent several minutes marveling at the seclusion of our future home.

After about 7 miles of seeing nothing but night-darkened trees, we finally saw a break in the forest. It was hard to tell from my truck's crappy headlights, but it looked like there was a pretty substantial clearing with grass in need of cutting. After a few seconds, a security light popped on and we finally saw the cabin. It was cozy-looking, the way one would expect a cabin to look, and it had the green roof that Jacob mentioned. I knew that tomorrow's daylight would only confirm what I felt in my heart now—this was our home.

Jacob turned off the headlights and got out of the truck, coming around to open my door for me. I accepted his offered hand to get out of the car smoothly and I closed the door behind me. Though the headlights were off, there was enough cleared land around the cabin to have a full view of the night sky. The waxing moon, almost full, illuminated the land around us. "This is really ours?" I marveled.

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer to him. "All ours. Welcome home, Isabella," he whispered in my ear.

I spun to face him and couldn't help but press my lips against his. It had been far too long since we'd gotten an extended amount of time alone together, and the time had finally come. I felt him moan gently into my mouth—loving how eager I was to be with him. Both of his arms snaked around my waist and he kissed me back hungrily. My hand that was occupied with his hair pushed his head tighter to mine to deepen our kiss. He finally could take no more and broke us apart. He panted and stared at me with half-lidded eyes. Finally, he grabbed my hand and we ran for the front door. He fumbled in his pocket for the keys and hastily let us inside.

As soon as he locked the door, our hands were immediately busy again. I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist. My skirt bunched up above my waist and I could already feel his hot arousal straining towards mine that was almost exposed. He walked us forward and I frantically struggled to get him out of his shirt. He growled playfully and nipped my ear as he stepped up a few stairs of the staircase. "Feeling frisky, huh?" he breathed in my ear. I shuddered at his words and groaned as he pressed my back against the wall. The shirt I had snatched from him fell to the floor where my own blouse soon joined it.

Jacob placed his hot kisses all over my neck and I could feel my own arousal heightening. _This is the best torture ever _I thought as his lips made their way to my earlobe. He sucked suggestively on it as he pressed his sheathed erection into me. I moaned, unable to control the little reactions he coaxed from my body. I felt him reach one hand between my legs and feel the dampness waiting there for him. He shuddered in excitement and his lips suddenly crashed onto mine. That kiss held all the past frustration from our unfulfilled sessions together as well as the ecstatic joy of what awaits us in our future. His tongue reached deep into my mouth and I met it with my own. Our tongues entwined as he pressed into me harder and I finally couldn't take it anymore.

I started to tug his pants downward but couldn't get them all the way off because of my position against the wall. He growled headily at my impatience and he managed to maneuver them down to his ankles.

"We've been denied this for too long," I breathed, about ready to die from anticipation.

"Good thing we've got forever ahead of us," he agreed.

I reached down to pull my panties to the side so that the moment we had been waiting for could finally come. "I'm ready," I panted.

I felt him press the tip of his erection against my eager lips several times, savoring the sensation that had been so sorely missed. "I need you now," he growled, his whole body reverberating his growl.

"Take me then," I moaned eagerly.

Without further encouragement, he entered me fully.

**Jake's POV **

The animal that I had kept caged inside me for so long finally broke free as I slammed into Bella. Her body slid up the wall with each thrust into her. Relishing our privacy, Bella didn't hold back her ecstatic moans. Each cry for more just drove me further and further onward. My hands tightly gripped her shoulders so that I could use even more force. I growled hungrily with each thrust—so eager to reclaim what was mine.

Suddenly, I felt Bella's legs sliding to the floor and I loosened my grip on her, worried that I had hurt her. "Are you okay?" I breathed heavily as I untangled my feet from my pants.

Rather than answer me, she grabbed my hand and we dashed the rest of the way up the stairs into the loft. Reading her mind, I scooped her up in my arms and laid her on the huge bed. While I loved the amazing view I saw beneath me, it hadn't reached its full potential. I quickly slid her skirt and panties off and fumbled with the catch on her bra. As soon as it joined the last pile of our clothes, Bella rose up and crashed her lips against mine.

The passion that began downstairs welled up again as our lips molded around each other in ways I still found unbelievable. Bella maneuvered me onto my back and climbed astride me. Looking up at her, I saw her face beaded with perspiration, a look of intense desire in her eyes, and reddened lips swollen from kissing. She leaned down to kiss me once more and positioned her entrance above my shaft. She rubbed it gently over the tip several times—teasing me. I growled in frustration and she chuckled at my response. She pressed into my shaft just enough to get the tip inside of her and quickly removed it. She repeated this over and over, enjoying the quivers that ran through my body.

"Please," I whimpered like the pup she had made me.

"Please what?" She teased again.

"Let me in," I whined pitifully.

She kissed me before she pushed me into her all the way. I couldn't restrain the moans that she brought out in me. Bella's control over me, her confidence was the sexiest thing I had experienced. Her movements back and forth, side to side, and up and down were bringing me to the edge. I growled in frustration and quickly rolled so that she was beneath me. I reached my hand down to play with her clit while I quickly thrust into her. I could feel the spasms rolling down her body from my touch and I finally brought her to climax. As she screamed my name, I climaxed, my inner animal roaring in ecstasy, and I felt all the stress and pent-up lust from the past two years vanish completely.

I rolled off of her and laid my head on her breast, listening to her frantic heartbeat. _I love this woman more than life itself._

"I love you, Jacob Black. Thank god we don't have to starve ourselves from this anymore," she panted, still managing a small smile.

"I love You, Isabella Swan," I replied. "This is the beginning of our life together. Can you believe it?"

"Mmmm…" she sighed.

After a few minutes, she had fallen asleep, so I reached for the blanket at the foot of the bed, covered us up, and snuggled closer to the woman the spirits had made especially for me.

**AN: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed your holidays (if you had some) and I'm so sorry for the delay. My grandfather passed away about a month ago and it's been really hard for me to get readjusted to normal life. BUT… I've always found that writing helps me get my emotions out and I'm hoping you'll like what I've written for you. Reviews are always appreciated because I like to know what you think I'm doing right and what I can improve on. Love to you all! XOXO -Mimi**


	10. Touring

**You thought you had gotten rid of me! I have returned after quite an absence to attempt to finish up this story. I finally graduated college and am currently in Grad school. I've had a lot of new ideas about this story and I'm excited to see how you all respond to them. Thanks for sticking with me up to this point, and to my new readers, reviews/input/criticisms are always welcome! –Mimi**

**P.S. I have now opened up a sub album on the Photobucket page titled "Cabin Photos" if you'd like to check those out. The link to the main album can be found at the bottom of my profile page. Enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Touring

As I opened my eyes the next morning, I had the overwhelming sensation of not wanting to move a single muscle. I yawned and stretched contentedly before noticing that I was alone in the bed. I sat straight up wondering where my Jacob had gone and soon noticed a note on his pillow addressed to me: _**Your slave for life has gone to the store so we can stock up the fridge in our new home. I'll be back soon, so don't miss me too much! Wander around and check out your new lair. Love you, Jake.**_

I smiled, able to visualize all of Jacob's facial expressions and hear the inflection in his voice as I read his note. Not wanting to disobey, I sluggishly pulled on my undies and skirt from beside the bed and tried to remember where my shirt had gone. _Oh yeah… on the stairs._ After dashing down to retrieve it, I returned to sit down on the end of the bed to genuinely look at our new bedroom. Ahead of me, I saw the morning light streaming in from the large windows at the top of the vaulted ceiling. If there hadn't been a railing separating the loft from the downstairs, my accident-prone self would have really been in trouble. I walked to the left of the bed and poked my head in the bathroom. _That tub is definitely big enough for two _I thought after looking around the corner. _The walk-in shower definitely has two-person potential too…_

I crossed the room to the other side of the bed and noticed another door. I curiously opened it and found that it led to my personal heaven: a library. Several bookcases lined the walls and there was a comfy, squishy looking armchair I could see myself getting used to using. French doors on the far wall led out to a small balcony that had a beautiful view of the forest and the small creek that carved its way across the property. I closed the doors and plopped down on the armchair that had caught my eye. _I'm going to love it here. I can already tell._

Remembering that there was more to the house, I bounced back down the stairs and into the living room. The high ceilings made it feel like a palace even though all the walls and floors were wooden. The couches were arranged conversationally around the fireplace which made the room feel cozy despite the openness. Another door off the living room led to a small guest bedroom and bathroom and another led to a modest-sized laundry room. The kitchen was very bright with several windows around the dining table._ I'm going to love cooking in here. _

Thinking of food made my stomach gurgle impatiently. I wistfully opened the fridge hoping to find something to munch on, but Jacob wasn't kidding when he said there was no food in the house. As if on cue, Jacob burst through the door, arms laden with bags upon bags of groceries.

"Honey, I'm home," he winked playfully before he placed the bags on the kitchen table.

"Welcome home," I beamed as I jumped into his arms. He kissed me tenderly and set me gently back down.

"So… what do you think?" he smirked.

"It's amazing!" I raved. "I can't believe we get to live here."

"Me either. I was so convinced that Sam and Emily wanted it. But it turns out that they really want to stay at Emily's little house."

"So this house was your grandfather Ephraim's house?" I asked.

"Great-grandfather," he corrected. "My grandfather, William Black Sr., lived here for a while with my dad and my aunts after Ephraim passed away, but they moved to the house Dad lives in now when my aunts got married and left the nest."

"So it had been empty quite a while before us, right?"

"Yeah. It had gotten pretty run down, but when Sam first phased, Dad ordered that it be renovated and spruced up for when Sam was ready to settle down. Then I came along," he grinned.

"And I'm very glad you did," I smiled back. He leaned down and kissed me again until I began to feel dizzy.

"I love you, Miss Swan," he said with sincerity.

"And I love you," I returned. I wrapped my arms around him and breathed in his amazing scent. Then, my brain abruptly returned to reality: "Oh crap! We need to get the groceries put away so the cold stuff doesn't spoil!" I remembered suddenly.

"I can already see that we're not going to get anything done," he snickered.

"Help now and laugh later, you meanie," I said quickly.

Jacob hurriedly helped me get everything put away and when we were through, our stomachs growled simultaneously, demanding to be fed. "Wow," I laughed, "I suppose I should make us something for breakfast. What sounds good to you?"

"I got enough eggs and bacon for today and tomorrow," he thought.

"What?!" I exclaimed. "The three dozen eggs and two pounds of bacon are just for two meals?!"

"Bella," he said mock-solemnly, "I'm a growing boy. And growing boys constantly need feeding."

I smacked him with the oven mitt I had just taken out of the drawer then proceeded to start cracking the first dozen eggs. Well you had better hope that we can both find decent jobs next week if we'll be dropping thousands of dollars at the grocery multiple times a week," I teased.

He faked being hurt and retorted, "It won't cost thousands a week! And I've already found a job, thank-you-very-much," he declared.

I was surprised he'd already found something so quickly. He did only graduate the day before. "Really? Where?" I asked as I poured all twelve beaten eggs into an enormous skillet.

"Robert's Garage that's halfway between La Push and Forks. I'm going to be a mechanic there for a while."

"I thought you hated Robert's," I mused. "You always complained about how much he rips people off on the parts and labor."

"Yes, but I've got to start somewhere. I'd like to work at something I enjoy while I save up to open my own garage. I'd like to open something close to La Push that is actually fair on prices."

"You would be so happy with that," I grinned. "And not to mention, you'd be really good at it too," I bragged.

He seemed to glow after hearing my praise and I still couldn't quite believe that I now had this amazing man all to myself. _And he's hungry, too._ I searched around in the cabinets and found a big serving platter to dump the eggs on. Once they were carried over to the table, I started in on the bacon. Jake stood behind me and rested his chin on the top of my head as I flipped the pieces of bacon over in the sizzling grease.

"This hardly seems real," he mused quietly, snaking his arms around my waist.

I felt my face heat up several degrees and tried to focus on not burning the bacon. "I know what you mean," I replied.

He gently kissed the top of my head and then started pacing around the kitchen, waiting to be fed. I giggled from watching him behave like a starving puppy.

"While we're on the subject," I began, "Have you heard of any local jobs you think I should apply for?"

"That depends on what you want to do with your life," he said impishly. "What does Bella want?" he asked.

I was suddenly caught off guard. I didn't quite know what I wanted to do. I loved literature and writing, but there weren't too many decent paying jobs for that skill set.

"Well?" he asked again.

"I would really like to be a writer—a novelist specifically, but I have to contribute something to the house before I can devote any time to that," I said quietly.

"How do you feel about kids?" he suddenly asked.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Kids. Do they annoy you? Do you like them?"

"Well, I haven't had too much extended experience around them, but I don't dislike them or anything," I replied.

"I ask because the tribal school is looking for a new English teacher for the middle schoolers. You'd get to be around a lot of writing and the tribal school is a little more flexible on letting teachers select books for the class to read. I think you'd be really good at it," he said sincerely.

I was taken aback. This wasn't really a career I had considered for myself. I wouldn't know the first place to start to even begin teaching the kids. "Do you really think I could handle it?" I asked uncertainly.

"Definitely, Bells. You already have such a compassionate, nurturing side to you. Those things are really important when teaching. And the tribal school is a bit different from your old schools. For starters, you'd only have fifteen students ages twelve to fourteen. And because you'd only have three different class periods per day, you'd have way more planning time than teachers in other schools," he said excitedly.

_Teaching, huh? _"Well, I suppose I could look into it. Will you go with me to the school Monday morning?"

"Sure thing! I don't start work until after lunch on Mondays so there will be plenty of time."

"Good, I'm glad," I smiled as I removed the bacon from the frying pan. Jacob seemed to move like a cartoon character following the scent of good food as he drifted towards the dining table. He patiently waited for me to serve my own plate before he dumped the remaining eggs and bacon onto his plate. _Maybe I should just buy a trough for him to use at mealtimes _I thought evilly.

I had just finished my last piece of bacon when I looked up to see that Jacob had already finished his entire plate. "Are you anywhere close to full yet?" I teased.

"I actually am," he grinned. "It was delicious," he said graciously as he carried the dirty dishes to the sink. When he walked back to the table, he scooped me out of my chair and carried me over to the couch. He settled back and cradled me to his chest. I loved feeling protected and cared for by Jacob. It made all life's other problems seem vastly insignificant. I sighed contentedly and Jacob leaned down to press his lips against mine. I returned his kiss but with a little more passion, hoping to spur him along. My kiss must have startled him because he broke away suddenly.

"Bella Swan!" he said incredulously. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to take a hint," I teased."

His eyes widened as he quickly caught on. "I see," he grinned, "And what does my Bella want to do?"

"Well…I really could use a bath. Do you want to try out our new bathtub?" I said slyly.

"Say no more, my lady," he said quickly and proceeded to rush us up the stairs to our bathroom.

I leaned over to turn on the faucets and found a comfortable temperature. I put the stopper on the drain and walked back over to Jacob while I waited for the tub to fill. I reached up and brought his head closer to my level so that I could cover his mouth with mine. I got excited when I felt him moan in my mouth. He kissed me back and used his arms to bring my body closer to his. My fingers gripped onto his hair as his tongue slowly made its way into my mouth. I started to push his shirt up his chest, but had to break our kiss to get it over his head.

"It's good to see that I didn't completely wear you out last night," he purred. He helped me out of my clothes and I helped him remove his last remaining garment. My eyes locked on his member. I still got the shivers every time I saw it because it was so hard to imagine it fitting inside of me. _Now being experienced, I can safely say that it does indeed fit _I thought wickedly. I brought my hand to rest on it and stroked it slowly. I could feel Jacob gravitating towards my touch and I watched as his eyes blissfully closed. Seizing the opportunity, I sank to my knees and brought the tip towards my mouth. I opened just enough to allow the head to enter my mouth. I felt Jacob shudder with excitement and surprise as I then began to work the length of it with my mouth.

When Jacob was fully aroused, I rose to my feet and pulled him towards the tub. The look on his face made me think that he'd gladly follow me into the pits of Hell and back without complaint. I grinned, loving that I had this effect on him. I gestured for Jacob to climb in the tub first. He sighed as he sank into the warm water. I climbed in after him and straddled his lap. He began kissing my neck and I moaned quietly. _He finally has figured out that my neck is a particularly hot spot _I mused. He gently nipped the skin at the hollow of my throat and I trembled from his touch.

He found my lips and began kissing them fiercely. I returned them in equal measure and tried with every movement to bring my body closer to his. Finally out of breath, Jacob broke our kiss. "I don't know how much longer I can wait," he panted. "Are you ready?"

In answer to his question, I positioned his member close to my entrance and began pushing down onto it. He moaned loudly, enjoying the sensation of filling me. The warm water and my arousal made my skin feel like it was on fire. I moved frantically, driving us forward and trying to get closer to my climax. His moans spurred me on and I felt my breathing get faster and faster. I involuntarily squeezed my muscles and Jacob suddenly moaned even louder and began thrusting up into me himself. The feeling of pressure kept building and building until finally I cried out, "Jacob!" He felt my release and almost immediately experienced his own.

When all was done, he slumped his head down onto my shoulder trying to regain his breath.

"What's wrong, Jake?" I panted. "I didn't tire you out already, did I?" I teased.

"Wow…" was his only reply.

The water suddenly felt much too cold, so I untangled our limbs and began to rise from the tub. "So much for this being a bath," I noted dryly. "We may just need a shower now."

Jacob suddenly caught my eye and I noticed a wicked twinkle. "I was right," he said as he got out of the tub. "We really aren't going to be able to get anything done."

"Well it's a good thing we're perfectly okay with that," I grinned as I pulled him towards the shower.

**AN: Hope you liked it! I will actively be updating this story now that I have a clearer idea of where it's heading. Please review and tell me what you liked or didn't like! I'm continually trying to improve my writing and feedback is everything to me. Until next time! -Mimi**


	11. Hunted

**To all of my loyal reviewers and subscribers, I hope you have not lost too much faith in me during my absence. I'm very excited that I have time now to finish this Fanfic and I hope you'll continue the journey with me! To new readers, welcome and I hope you have enjoyed the story thus far. Reviews are always appreciated and it feels good to be back!**

**-Mimi **

Chapter 11: Hunted

_**1 year later**_

"_Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises,  
>Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.<br>Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments  
>Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices<br>That, if I then had waked after long sleep  
>Will make me sleep again; and then in dreaming<br>The clouds methought would open and show riches  
>Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked<br>I cried to dream again_ ."

I felt a tear come to my eye as I heard the last presenting student in my seventh grade class recite Caliban's words from _The Tempest. _Mark's skills at reading aloud had improved so much since I became Quileute Tribal School's English teacher a year ago. His stammering and shyness took months to work through, but I had found reciting poetry, and especially Shakespeare, had helped build Mark's confidence. Now, no one could possibly tell that he had struggled so much. I and the four other students in class applauded as he returned to his desk.

"Great job, Mark. Alright, everyone! You did such a great job on your presentations today! The sixth graders are going to have to step things up next year to keep up with you." My students smiled proudly at the complement.

"You'll have your work cut out for you with my little brother next year," Anita sighed. "He'll be in your sixth grade class and I warn you, he's a pest!"

I and the class snorted with subdued laughter, but I quickly regained my composure. "I'm sure he'll be just as good a student as his big sister. If I remember correctly, Mrs. Hook says that you were just as rowdy last year," I teased.

"So you will still be here in the fall?" Nathan asked expectantly.

I paused a moment to reflect. Teaching had been a career path I had never considered for myself. But my Jacob, being the perceptive man he is, recommended I give it a try. Now, I couldn't imagine any other career. I loved my students and I loved being able to share my love of writing and literature with them. "Yes, Nathan. I will definitely be back in the fall," I grinned. "Sorry to disappoint any of you who were hoping for a much better eighth grade teacher!"

The class chuckled at my joke. "What are your plans for the summer?" Hannah asked me.

"Well…I've really wanted to start writing a novel. I've had all sorts of ideas floating around in my head for a year and I can't wait to see if any of them amount to something."

"You should write about an alien prince who is transformed into a hippopotamus warrior and has to compete in an intergalactic tournament to win the heart of the Princess Leia," Tyler gushed excitedly.

I had to restrain the urge to laugh out loud. Though ridiculous sounding, Tyler's creativity and love of sci-fi never failed to disappoint. "Well, Tyler, I don't know if my novel will be science-fiction, but that's a lot to think about. By the way, you mean Princess Leia from _Star Wars_, right?"

"Exactly."

"Well, it may not be the story for me to write, but why don't you get started on it and share it with everyone when you make your debut as a mature, eighth grade author in a few months," I smiled.

"Deal!" he squealed excitedly as the bell rang.

"I've enjoyed being your teacher this year! Have a fun and safe summer vacation!" I called as everyone gathered their bags and dashed out of the room, eager to see what the summer months had in store for them.

_**Jacob's POV**_

"No, Paul! Put that chair in the corner!" I yelled as I surveyed the frenzied preparations around me. It was Bella's last day of school before summer break and Emily had the idea to throw a surprise party for her at T'lópa Cabin. Everyone had turned up—Charlie, Dad, Emily, Kim, and the entire pack were crammed into the tiny kitchen hastily throwing together enough food to satisfy a ravenous werewolf army and their guests. I had craftily asked everyone to park behind the cabin so that Bella wouldn't see their cars as she approached the house.

"This was really thoughtful," Charlie beamed, smacking me on the shoulder.

"Hey don't thank me, thank Emily," I pointed.

"She is brilliant after all," Sam smiled warmly as he kissed her forehead. Emily smiled back at him in a gooey manner that made me miss Bella.

"QUIET!" Embry hissed suddenly. "I think I hear her truck on the gravel."

Charlie frowned in confusion, straining his ears to try to hear the sounds Embry heard from miles away. "I don't hear anything."

I discretely thumped the side of Embry's head and shot him a meaningful look. _Charlie still doesn't know that we're…different _ I communicated with my eyes. _Please try to act normal. _

"Oh…uh…I must be hearing things," Embry muttered.

Charlie resumed arranging furniture even though everyone had mostly stopped what they were doing because they knew Bella was indeed fast approaching. Finally, Charlie lifted his head as he too heard Bella's truck rattling down the gravel driveway.

"Alright, everyone! Squeeze in over there," I pointed to the corner of the kitchen.

Everyone waited with baited breath as they listened for the sound of Bella's footsteps outside the door and her key in the lock. As the door swung open, everyone leaped out to yell, "SURPRISE!"

"AAAAH!" Bella yelped, clutching her chest. "You guys scared me so much!" she scolded, though she failed to conceal the smile spreading rapidly across her face. "Wow! Everyone came out to see me?" She grinned.

"Yes ma'am, indeed," I said proudly as I wrapped my arm around her still trembling shoulders. I leaned down so that I could press my lips gently against hers. She returned my kiss with much more gusto. Intoxicated by her scent, I kissed her a little longer and deeper than is socially appropriate. When I finally heard Charlie cough uncomfortably, I broke away. I grinned devilishly at her joyous look and with my arm in the small of her back, guided her around the room to talk to everyone.

The past year had been hectic. I enjoyed working at Robert's Garage, but as my brilliant Bella predicted, I had trouble coping with his business ethics. I tried to help customers out whenever I could by sneakily replacing worn out parts that weren't a part of the repair job to do as much good for customers as possible. They seemed to have caught on. I didn't charge customers for these little, extra adjustments, and soon, their referred friends and family members were bringing more business to the garage. Robert was a little put-out that customers requested my services over his, but even he couldn't complain about the business boom. Desires of opening my own garage constantly plague my thoughts, but I still need to secure my own location before I can make the move with my client-base.

I watched Bella laugh and interact with all the guests and found myself going through the motions of interacting with everyone. Tonight, I really just wanted Bella to myself. Once the pack had scarfed down every scrap of food that Emily prepared, people started to head home. Once the last guest had departed, I pulled Bella into my arms. I stroked her hair and gently kissed the side of her head.

"Mmmm…" she serenely murmured. "I'm so glad Emily decided to take care of the dishes. I can't imagine washing that mountain of plates on a day like today."

Her remark worried me. "Did something bad happen at work?"

"No, not really. The other ten teachers and I had a long, drawn-out meeting while all the kids had lunch and it was just really tiring. The middle school science and social studies teacher, Mrs. Hook, is retiring and no one's sure if there will be enough money in the budget to hire a replacement. So there was just endless talk about staffing changes and possible ways around the budget constraints," she finished with a yawn.

This worried me even more. "It shouldn't affect you though, right?"

"For now, no. I'm just tired of hearing adults squabbling and bickering like little kids. It's so exhausting," she yawned again.

"Well, it's a good thing that you have a man in your life to try to make a day like today even better," I smiled playfully. Without another word, I scooped her off her feet and carried her upstairs to our bed. With one hand, I pulled back the covers and tucked her into bed. She smiled tiredly and snuggled up with one of the pillows.

It wasn't long before her eyelids drooped closed and her breathing slowed. I couldn't help but stare. For the past three years, I had loved this amazing woman, and still marveled at how small moments like this had such an effect on me. I gently kissed the top of her head as I had seen Sam do earlier in the evening. I retreated down the stairs to lock up the cabin and turn off the lights before I returned and snuggled happily next to the woman who changed my life.

_**Bella's POV**_

I opened my eyes the next morning to find our bed empty. _My first day of summer vacation and I don't get to enjoy morning snuggles with Jake? _I thought disappointedly. I clambered downstairs in my PJ's and peeked out the front window. It was a typical overcast Washington day, but at least it wasn't raining. I spotted Jacob pulling the lawnmower out of the tool shed and I finally remembered. _Oh yeah…. Jake Did say he was going to do some yard work today if the weather cooperated_.

Rerouting my morning plans, I headed towards the kitchen and poured a cup of the coffee he must have brewed while I was still asleep. I grabbed my battered compilation of Jane Austen novels and made my way to my favorite spot on the couch. I sighed contentedly as I sank into the comfy cushions. I made it about a fourth of the way into _Persuasion _when suddenly, inspiration struck. Returning Jane to the shelf and placing my coffee cup in the sink, I quickly dashed up the stairs, changed into a pair of cutoff jeans and an old T-shirt, grabbed my journal, and made for the great outdoors.

I've always found that I do my best writing when I'm not confined indoors, and when an idea pops into my head, I have to hurry and run with it. I waved at Jake who was filling the lawnmower with more gasoline. He cocked his head to the side questioningly at my frantic appearance, but when I pointed to my journal, he nodded in understanding and gestured towards the trail behind our cabin.

Happily, I made my way down the familiar trail until I reached a cluster of boulders that formed a fairly comfortable perch. I sat down and yanked the pen from the spiral rings of my journal, eager to start writing down the ideas that had just come to mind. I scribbled frantically for several minutes, trying to block out the hum of the lawnmower in the distance.

Suddenly, a solitary leaf drifted downwards and landed on my notebook. Not feeling any wind or other disturbance, I glanced around confusedly. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I slowly rose to my feet. Looking around, I saw nothing out of place, but something still didn't feel right. Slowly, I lifted my head to look up at the tree behind me. I felt my breath suddenly catch in my throat. I saw a brief flash of vivid red hair and then another leaf made its way to the ground.

_Victoria… _

**AN: I forgot to mention that I added a sub-album called "Wolf Pack" to the Melting Ice Rising Sun Photobucket album. It was just something I pulled together based on what descriptions were given about the Quileute wolves. Seth is my favorite. I'm so happy I found a blonde, goofy-looking wolf to represent him!**


	12. Vengeance

**Hello all! The chapter from last night was really short and I hadn't posted in several months, so I decided to go ahead and publish the next chapter for you all. The quoted passage from this chapter comes from **_**Eclipse **_**on pages 256-258 (in the US hardcover version). It is the work of Stephanie Meyer. I in no way own it. Let me know what you think of the direction the story is taking. Enjoy!**

**-Mimi**

Chapter 12: Vengeance

_Victoria…_

Suddenly, the flash of red appeared on the ground in front of me, her darkened red eyes glaring hungrily, her red hair wild and untamed. She had a bit of a crazed look in those eyes which sent shivers down my spine. Her clothing, long black pants with a red blouse made her look even more fierce and intimidating. _Leave it to a vampire to be able to run in heels _I stared in disbelief.

"I finally found you," she growled quietly, pacing side to side with slow, meaningful strides.

"Three years I've hunted you. Your owners have stayed quite busy keeping me at bay, little vampire pet, but I finally tricked them."

Trying to throw her off, I quickly retorted, "If you've spent that much time near the Cullens, then surely you realize that Edward and I are no longer together."

I saw her divert her gaze, momentarily lost in a thought, but a triumphant smile crept slowly back to her face. "That doesn't matter. I know he still cares for you with every fraction of his existence. You see, our kind do not love easily, they do not form lasting bonds easily, and you have certainly made your mark on him."

I stepped back reflexively, feeling the blood pound in my temples in fear. _I don't want to die. Jacob…Charlie…they need me._

"That's right, human. Be afraid. You can't possibly harm an immortal. You may not be Edward's lover any longer, but your death will certainly destroy his world," she grinned wickedly. "But now, they can't possibly interfere," she said strongly with the crazed look returning to her eyes. "It's been a while since I've had a good meal. It will be hard to resist gorging myself on your blood all at once, but I'm going to enjoy making you slowly suffer," she inched closer to me. "THIS IS FOR YOU, JAMES!" she screamed as she lunged forward.

I closed my eyes tight, bracing myself for the inevitable pain she intended for me, but suddenly, my protector crashed through the trees with a mighty snarl. The force of his impact sent Victoria flying backwards into a tree trunk. The forest echoed with the loud crash. Jacob growled and his fur stood on end, bristling in anger as he positioned himself between the fearsome, livid vampire and me.

"Well, well…" Victoria said as she got to her feet, "I guess vampires weren't the right sort of monster for sweet Bella," she sneered. "Tsk tsk…Shacking up with wolves now, I see."

Jake's growls grew louder as he followed her side-to-side movements.

"No matter…I can take on one of you without breaking a sweat," she growled as she dashed towards Jacob.

"NO!" I screamed. The sounds of snarling and limbs and paws landing blows on opponents filled the forest. Jake's swipe with his enormous paw sent Victoria flying again, but she nimbly leapt from tree to tree dodging his attacks. She jumped into a thick evergreen tree and Jacob lost sight of her, looking around frantically, searching for a glimpse of red hair.

Moments passed and no sounds or movements gave away her location. Suddenly, I spotted her as she readied herself to leap from the tree. "JAKE! THERE!" I pointed, but I was too late. She sprung out of the tree and hurtled towards the ground. I heard a sickening crunch as the brunt of all her weight made contact with Jacob's ribcage. Jake howled in agony and tried to crawl out of the line of her attacks.

_Oh my god! What can I do? _I thought, my panic almost choking me. All at once, I remembered the story that Billy Black told around the campfire the night I learned about the Quileute's history—the one about their first encounter with the cold ones…

"_**There were twenty witnesses to the Cold Woman's approach. Two survived, only because she grew distracted by the blood, and paused to sate her thirst...**_

…_**Taha Aki's third wife had just seen her son die before her. Now her husband fought, and she had no hope that he could win… …She'd heard the story of Yaha Uta's first victory, and knew that his brother's diversion had saved him.**_

_**The third wife grabbed a knife from the belt of one of the sons beside her. They were all young sons, not yet men, and she knew they would die when their father failed. The third wife ran toward the Cold Woman with the dagger raised high. The Cold Woman smiled, barely distracted from her fight with the old wolf. She had no fear of the weak human woman or the knife that would not even scratch her skin, and she was about to deliver the death blow to Taha Aki.**_

_**And then the third wife did something the Cold Woman did not expect. She fell to her knees at the blood drinker's feet and plunged the knife into her own heart. **_

_**Blood spurted through the third wife's fingers and splashed against the Cold Woman. The blood drinker could not resist the lure of the fresh blood leaving the third wife's body. Instinctively, she turned to the dying woman, for one second entirely consumed by thirst…"**_

_That's it! _ Fumbling around in my back pocket, I extracted the pocketknife Jake had given me for Christmas and made a long, deliberate slice down my arm. I cried out as the blade cut into my skin, and I was soon rewarded with a steady flow of crimson. Victoria, who had been rounding on Jacob again, suddenly turned her eyes towards me. Any remaining color drained from them and they seemed to nearly pop out of their sockets. I glared in her direction triumphantly, but Jacob's eyes were full of fear and panic. Not wasting another moment, Victoria dashed towards the irresistible scent of my blood.

Before she could make it three steps in front of me, the black wolf that is Sam Uley and the rest of the pack stampeded into the clearing and knocked her to the ground. The sounds of her agonized screams and the gravelly crunch of her marble body being torn to pieces made me lose my breakfast. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I watched as Colin and Brady phased back to their human forms and quickly began to start a fire.

I weakly made my way towards Jake and gently put my head between his massive paws, trying to hug him gently. His quiet whimper of pain broke my heart, each labored breath causing him to wince uncomfortably.

_**Bells…why did you do something so stupid? Did you want to die that badly? **_His quiet, weakened voice filled my head.

"I couldn't let her hurt you anymore," I choked out as tears streamed down my cheeks. I nestled my face into the fur of his chest.

His eyes took in the sight of my arm. _**Bella, you're going to bleed to death. Sam! **_I heard him urgently think. Not ten seconds later, human Sam quickly strode over and tore a strip of fabric from the hem of his shorts. He sat me upright and wrapped the strip around my arm like a tourniquet to try to stop the bleeding.

"Is Jake going to be okay?" I cried. His eyes had closed, the pain causing him to sink into unconsciousness.

"I'm not sure," Sam said worriedly. He glanced up suddenly and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "The Cullens are almost here. The doctor should be able to set you two straight."

About a minute later, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme were standing by. When Edward saw the state of my arm, he ordered everyone but Carlisle to return to the Cullen's house, where the scent of my blood couldn't affect them. Their eyes slowly darkening, they nodded and took off at top speeds towards Forks.

Edward looked at Sam and nodded briefly. _Sam must have told him what happened. _"Alright, Bella, let's get you back to the Cabin," Edward said quietly as he scooped me into his arms.

"Wait! What about Jake?" I whimpered. His eyes were still closed, his chest lifting up erratically as he tried to breathe. The smaller, gray wolf that was Leah looked at Jacob and then at me and sent a low growl in my direction.

"Carlisle and the pack are going to transport him back to the cabin. Carlisle will take good care of him," he tried to calmly reassure me. He assessed Leah with his gaze, "Leah is just worried about Jacob too."

I watched as the phased members of the pack attempted to lift Jacob as gently as possible. I could still hear his quiet whines. Sensing my choking guilt, Edward took off through the trees, the rush of the wind stinging my cheeks as he ran. When we finally reached the cabin, he gently placed me on one of the kitchen chairs and dashed upstairs to get the first aid kit from the bathroom.

He cleaned the cut with some rubbing alcohol and I saw the strained expression on his face as he wiped the blood off my arm. I winced at the sting and tried not to look at the damage I had done to myself.

"It doesn't look too bad, Bella," he assessed. "The cut you made was fairly clean considering how frightened you must have been, and it's fairly shallow."

"I wasn't frightened to hurt myself," I said quietly. "I knew it was the only chance I had to save Jake."

Edward made no comment, instead he began to wrap my cleaned arm in a tight bandage. As he was wrapping, I felt a heat rush to my face. _It's so hot in here._

"Something wrong?" Edward remarked.

"I think I'm running a fever," I panted.

"You might have an infection. I'll ask Carlisle to write you a prescription for antibiotics," he replied as he secured the last strand of bandage.

"Thanks," I said awkwardly.

Edward looked in my eyes and I felt the familiar sense of guilt welling up inside me. _Edward…I really never meant to hurt you. _I saw the look of pain on his marble features and had the sudden urge to comfort him.

"I'm sor—" I started.

He shook his head and offered a quiet "Shhh…." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and let his hand linger on my cheek for a moment. "You, Isabella Swan, are the bravest creature I have ever known."

I blushed and felt my gaze drift down to my feet in embarrassment. "It really wasn't brave. It was more like instinct. I knew that if I didn't step in, I would lose Jacob forever."

"Well whatever you would like to call it, it seems Jacob is very fortunate he has you," he smiled weakly.

"How've you all been? What has been going on these past three years?" I asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Besides trying to keep Victoria away from Forks and La Push, not too much at all."

"Where did you move? Did Carlisle find a new job?"

"We never left Forks. We've just temporarily withdrawn from society," he smiled bitterly.

"You've been here this whole time and you didn't bother to tell me?" I fumed.

"It seemed like you and Jacob Black were doing well. We wanted to give you a chance to live your human life as normally as possible," he said defensively.

"I still would have liked to hear anything at all from you guys. You do know that I still care deeply about you and your whole family, right? I worried and worried that I hadn't heard anything and Alice never took any of my phone calls. I had pretty much given up on seeing the elusive Cullen family again after the second year. You promised you wouldn't disappear on me again," I said tearfully.

Edward sighed and gazed downwards. "I broke my promise," he spoke to his hands. "I'm very sorry for that, Bella. I guess I thought I was looking out for you again."

"I forgive you, Edward. So…you've been here in Forks. How have you spent your time?"

"We took turns every day patrolling in shifts. Occasionally, we would pick up on one of Victoria's trails, but she had always managed to escape by the time we caught on to them. For the past year, Alice was able to see that she had settled somewhere in Maine. We let up our guard a little, but Alice constantly tried to keep an eye on her in her visions."

"How did Victoria manage to get through if Alice was watching her like a hawk?" I asked.

Edward's jaw clenched angrily. "We're still not entirely sure. We think Victoria maybe figured out how to manipulate Alice's visions—like she found a way to skirt around them. We may not even have known to come here if Alice hadn't caught a flash of her decision to attack. It's like she let her guard down long enough for us to see past her trick."

"That must have been when I cut my arm. She had this insane look in her eyes, like nothing else in the world existed but the blood coming out of my arm."

"That would make sense," Edward mused quietly. "But at least that…that,"

"Bitch," I added.

"Yes, thank you. At least she won't be bothering anyone ever again."

_She's really gone…_Suddenly, intense relief flooded my body, and my eyes swam with tears.

"Bella?" Edward asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" I sniffed, trying to wipe some of the tears away.

"I really am happy that you're loving your life with Jacob."

I smiled awkwardly through my tears. "I definitely am. I love it here. I love being a teacher, something I never would have imagined."

Edward gave me the first genuine smile I had seen since our break up, and it warmed my heart. _Maybe there's a chance we really can still be friends after all of this _I wondered hopefully.

Suddenly, the pack and Carlisle burst through the door carrying a human Jacob as steadily as possible. _Jacob looks terrible _ I half-sobbed. "Take him into the guest bedroom," I pointed to the door across the room. I scurried to open the door for them so that they could place him on one of the twin beds.

"Alright, everyone. This is a really tight space so if everyone except Bella could please wait outside, I'll see what I can do," Carlisle instructed.

As everyone filed out, I knelt beside the bed and held Jacob's hand in the two of mine. He was sweating profusely and his breathing was still quite shallow.

"I gave him morphine to try to kill some of the pain," Carlisle explained. "I wasn't sure how much he needed because of his unique body composition, but I gave him enough to help him stay asleep for a while. He should be out for a little bit while I try to take a closer look."

"So he can't feel anything?" I asked worriedly.

Carlisle smiled reassuringly at me. "Don't worry, Bella. Your Jacob is quite lucky. His body is already trying to heal itself. He should be mostly back to his old self in four to five days."

I sighed in relief. "Oh good…I'm glad he can't feel this," I said as I watched Carlisle gently palpate his abdomen and torso. He poked and prodded Jacob for a few minutes before he nodded in satisfaction.

"Well, Victoria managed to break every single rib, but his internal organs seem to be intact and healing quickly. I would imagine bones take a little longer to mend. For the time being, I would advise against Jacob phasing to his wolf form for a full week. I worry at how his bones will set once they've reformed if he tries to phase too soon."

I nodded in understanding. "I'll make sure he takes it easy."

"Bel…" Jake whispered faintly.

My eyes jumped to his face. His eyes were still closed in sleep. "Bella…" he whispered again.

Leaning down, I gently pressed my lips against his, saying a silent prayer that he was going to be okay. Cradling his head in my hands, I trailed small kisses across his cheeks before returning to his mouth. His eyes fluttered open for a moment and struggled to bring me into focus. "Bells…" he smiled serenely. I kissed him once more and his eyes closed again, returning to his painless sleep.

"I see Edward has already bandaged your arm," Carlisle gestured.

I looked down at my mummified arm and smiled. "He said the cut was shallow and clean, but I think I'm running a fever."

"Let me see," he said as he pressed the back of his hand to my forehead. He held it there for a moment before looking at me in shock. "Bella, we need to get you to a hospital."

"Why what's wrong?" I asked dreamily.

"With a temperature as high as yours, your brain should be frying," he said with alarm.

"I don't…I don't feel that bad…" I mumbled.

Carlisle steered me towards the other twin bed as he summoned Edward into the room. I couldn't hear the intense whispers that they exchanged, but I knew something must be wrong. _I do feel kind of strange…_Suddenly, my world was spinning and I felt dizzy while sitting perfectly still.

"Bella…Bella!?" Edward called. "Bella? Can you hear me?!"

Edwards garbled words were the last things I heard before unconsciousness claimed me—my world faded slowly to black.


	13. New

Chapter 13: New

"What's wrong with her?!" Edward frantically asked Carlisle. My face felt damp from the fevered sweat, my body trying desperately to cool me down. My breathing was labored, struggling through the pain I felt in every extremity of my body. Though I wanted to scream, no sound escaped my lips.

I heard Carlisle form a reply to Edward's question: "I don't know," he said panicked. "Enough time hasn't elapsed for this to be caused by an infected wound." I felt a frightfully cold hand press against my head and the fragrant smell of Carlisle filled my senses. _What's happening to me?_

"Bella…" Jacob whispered from the twin bed across the room.

_Jacob… He needs me. _I tried to move, but I was paralyzed. Unable to move, unable to speak, I mentally clenched my fists, the agonizing pain still spreading through me like wildfire.

"Sam!" Carlisle called.

I heard the door quietly open. "What's wrong?" he asked in his deep voice.

"We're not sure. Bella was fine a few moments ago but then seemed to run a fever. With a temperature this hot, she should be dead," he mused exasperatedly.

"Did she complain of any symptoms before she passed out?"

"She didn't mention feeling any differently until I told her she was burning up," Carlisle replied. "Then she passed out."

"We need to get her to a hospital," Edward said strongly. "She's not going to die here." I felt his cold, marble arms wedge under my body in an attempt to lift me off the bed.

"No!" Sam exclaimed. "She mustn't be moved!"

"I don't understand," Edward said slowly. "Do you know what is happening?"

Sam paused and sighed before replying, "I have a theory, though I don't know how it could be possible."

"What?" Carlisle pleaded. "What do you think?"

"It seems like Bella is experiencing the symptoms that go along with transforming into a Quileute wolf," Sam replied in disbelief.

_A wolf…like Jacob?_

"…how in the hell?" Jacob's quiet voice rose from across the room, now fully awake. "That's impossible, Sam," Jacob's said angrily. "Only the descendents of Taha Aki can transform into wolves. Bella doesn't have any Quileute genes," the mattress springs groaned as he tried to lift himself.

"No, Jacob," Carlisle said calmly. You need to remain still. Your bones still need time to set properly."

"Jacob's right," Edward said. "Bella definitely has no genetic ties to the Quileutes."

"Jacob, you and your pack all have an extra chromosome. I'm assuming this is what makes your transformation possible, and heritable," Carlisle added.

"And how exactly would you know that?" Jacob spat.

"I took the liberty of examining your blood after patching you up," Carlisle said unashamedly. "I was merely curious."

"Whatever, Dr. Fang," Jacob grumbled. "But there has to be another explanation! What's wrong with her?!"

"Jacob," Sam said quietly. "Everything seems to fit. This is how most of us experienced the transformation.

"I don't see Bella shooting up three feet," he retorted.

"Leah," Sam quietly called.

Leah let herself into the room and asked, "How is this possible?" her voice quivering.

"We're not sure. Tell everyone what your transformation was like."

"Well, I remember not being able to see or move for a while, which sucked because I was in so much pain. I couldn't scream, I couldn't call out for help, I was pretty helpless," she intoned. "I didn't get any taller, but I definitely had some muscle tone where I didn't before."

_Am I really transforming? It can't be possible._

"This does indeed seem to be what is happening to Bella. Perhaps when she sacrificed herself to save Jacob, everything changed," Sam said astounded.

"But this didn't happen to the third wife," Jacob pleaded. "She died."

"Ah, but she mortally wounded herself," Sam replied. "Bella's wound was not life-threatening, but she still placed her life in danger in hopes of saving you."

_She wasn't going to take you away from me. I wouldn't let her._

"So you think that if the third wife had survived after her sacrifice, that she would be like Bella?" Leah asked.

"It's pure conjecture," Sam stated.

"Incredible," Carlisle whispered.

All was silent in the room for several moments.

"I don't believe any of this," Edward said angrily breaking the silence. "I'm taking her to the hospital. We don't have any lifesaving equipment here and I'm not allowing her to die here while you all wait to see if she magically turns into a stinking wolf."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Jacob growled. "She stays here!"

"Get back, Jacob!" Edward snarled, Jacob grunting in pain as Edward shoved him back onto the bed.

A sudden white-hot rage seared through me. _How dare Edward try to take me from my Jacob? How dare he hurt Jacob?_ Every bit of anger I felt towards Edward in that moment seemed to push me over the edge. Without thinking about how it was done, I felt my body contort and change as though I were exploding out of my own skin.

My eyes opened, and I saw the small gathering of Quileutes and the two vampires who had leapt away from my bed in alarm. I felt the rumble of anger in my throat as my eyes locked onto the golden eyes of Edward, the enemy. Those eyes showed the first signs of fear I had ever seen in my time knowing them.

_Kill… _My instincts whispered to me as a sickeningly sweet stench filled my nose. _Rip…tear…_ but a sudden gasp distracted me. I made eye contact with my Jacob, his brown eyes wide in disbelief and wonder.

_Oh no…I have to get out of here _ I screamed inwardly. Seizing my chance, I swiftly broke through the window above my bed, running away from those inside.

_How on earth can this be possible? I'm not a Quileute. I'm just a regular human _ my thoughts droned as I ran. My legs felt powerful as my long strides propelled me along. The wind tickled my sides, slicking my fur down the faster I ran. I didn't know where I was going, but my legs seemed to know where they were taking me.

After seconds, minutes, hours, who knew how long it was, I smelled the delicious scent of cool, running water. After locating its source, a small stream, I padded over and lapped up the refreshing liquid until my thirst was quenched. Looking around me, I saw a spot farther upstream where the water appeared to be more still. Trotting over, I glanced in the calm pool and screamed in fright—only, it didn't come out as the scream I intended, but a surprised yelp.

Reflected in the pool of water was a fierce looking snow white wolf. The beast had the same chocolate brown eyes as me, but the similarity ended there. While Bella Swan looked a weak, frail human, this creature looked elegant and dangerous. I admired the creature in the pool and looked downward in disbelief. Massive white paws existed where there had once been human feet. _Is this really me? _

Suddenly my nose caught a familiar smell, though a matching image didn't immediately come to mind. I turned around, and there, limping towards me, was the wolf Jacob Black. He winced in pain as he strode towards me, even in his wolf-form he still looked weak. I sprinted over to his side, urging him to lay down.

_Jake… _My thoughts cried. _Why did you phase? Carlisle said your bones need time to heal._

_**I had to see you, I couldn't believe it.**_

_I'm…different now _I stated lamely.

_**I don't see much difference. The long, bushy white tail and fangs were there before, right? **_he teased.

I licked the side of his face in annoyance. _I'm pretty scary looking I guess _I said self-consciously.

_**Bells…You're…you're beautiful **_Jake's wonder-filled voice filled my head. His warm, large eyes gazed into mine.

_I still don't understand how this could have happened._

_**Sam must have been right. You risking your life to save me somehow did this.**_

_All I knew was that that red-haired BITCH was not going to hurt you anymore _I growled.

_**You saved my life.**_

_You do realize I love you, right? _ I half-snarled.

_**I think I'm starting to figure that out **_he teased again.

The full realization of what I now was suddenly struck me. _I'm a monster. I'm not human anymore. What if Jacob doesn't want me that way anymore? _Thoughts of Jacob leaving me suddenly filled my mind and I lowered my head in despair.

_**What? Bella are you crazy?! I'm not going to leave you because you can turn into a wolf now. That would be pretty hypocritical, wouldn't it?**_

_But, will I be the same? Will you still be in love with me?_

_**Bella, I didn't think it was possible to love you more than I already did. But I do. You can understand me now—more than you did before. We're the same now, you and I. **_

An affectionate rumble began in my chest as I leaned down to nuzzle the side of Jacob's head. I lay down next to him, curled into his side. _Will I ever get used to this?_

_**In time you will. But I'll be there for you to help you through it. So will the rest of the pack.**_

I was silent for a moment, taking in this information. An amused rumble suddenly began in Jacob's chest. The image of a huge white wolf growling and baring its teeth at Edward Cullen filled his mind.

_**Wow…you were really going to try to tear him to pieces.**_

_He hurt you _I growled loudly.

_**I would have been fine. He's probably freaking out more than you are right now.**_

I glanced down at my furry paws again. _I highly doubt that _ I thought dryly.

_**We should go apologize. Can you phase back?**_

_How do you do that? _

_**You have to relax and just want to be back in your human form as much as you can. Think about nothing but your human form. Like this… **_he thought his last as human Jacob appeared before me as naked as the day he was born. He winced slightly in pain from his position on the forest floor, but he seemed to be handling it better than earlier in the day. _Wolf bodies are incredible. They can really heal that quickly?_

I looked at Jacob hesitantly. He must have seen the anxiety in my dark eyes.

"It's alright, Bells. You can do it."

Taking his advice, I let my desire to return to my human form fill my body. I felt a flood of warmth and a curious sensation as I shrank back to my weaker human form. The bandage from my arm had been torn apart when I phased, but as I looked down, there was no longer a sign of the knife wound. _I'm healed already?_

**Jacob's POV**

I watched in astonishment as the beautiful white wolf before me transformed into the familiar form of my Bella. She glanced down from her position on all fours and surveyed the place where the cut on her arm had been. _That wound of hers had probably healed within minutes of her transformation _ I thought smugly. There Were benefits to being a wolf.

As her torso righted itself, my breath caught in my throat from taking in the sight of her body—her perfect breasts, her tiny waist, the desirable curve to her hips—those were the same. But, there was a certain strength and tone about her arms, torso, and thighs that was different. She looked incredible.

_You could have lost her today _my thoughts tormented me. Bella's eyes met mine, a slight blush rose to her cheeks after realizing she was naked in the great outdoors. However, once she saw the pained look in my eyes, she crawled to my side in an instant.

"Jake? What's wrong?" She asked quietly.

Wordlessly, I pulled her body close to mine. Our chests close together, I placed my head against her neck, inhaling her all-too-familiar scent. Her arms wrapped around me and rubbed gentle circles on my back. I felt myself shudder with uncharacteristic sobs as I held her tight against me. Bella cradled my head against her chest, softly caressing the side of my face, not judging me as my tears slid down her body.

"Hey…" she whispered. "It's okay," she reassured me with another caress. "We're both alright. And if what you said was true, we're going to be together for a very long time."

"Forever…" I whispered.

Bella slowly brought her lips down to meet mine. They moved with mine in a kind of desperation that we had never experienced. Her hand, which was wrapped around the back of my neck, pushed us closer together to deepen the kiss. My hands wandered aimlessly over her body, savoring the familiar curves and textures of her skin. _Mine. Forever… _I thought ecstatically. Bella began to trail kisses from my neck down to my chest, and a shudder of desire rippled through me.

Bella must have heard the low moan in my chest, and it seemed to have switched something on inside her. She positioned herself above my shaft and pushed herself onto it, groaning in delight as she rocked repeatedly against it. _Is this Bella using her instincts? _I wondered, immensely enjoying the effects of her shameless movements. Before long, I felt the familiar shudder and tension go through her body as she climaxed.

Bella's moans of ecstasy triggered my inner animal, which hastily decided to flip her over and climb on top. Though my body was still sore, I managed to slam myself into her, letting myself lose control. Bella pulled my head down towards her and brought her lips to my neck. Anticipating what was coming, I felt myself empty inside of her as her teeth gripped my skin—marking me as hers.

My head returned to resting against her neck, breathing in the intoxicating smell of complete and utter satisfaction. _We really do belong to each other now _I thought as I gently touched the spot where Bella marked me.

"What were you saying about me not liking you anymore now that you're a wolf?" I panted.

Bella chuckled quietly. "I guess you just proved that you do still like me," she snuggled her head against mine.

I held her close to me a little longer as the sun was finally beginning to descend toward the western horizon. "We really should go apologize," I said solemnly.

"Well, Mr. Black," Bella began seriously, "the only problem I see with that is that it will require Leah to bring me some clothes," she said as she traced circles on my chest.

I felt an excited rumble in my chest, pleasantly shocked by her naughty implications. "You're right I guess. Surely they won't miss us for a little while longer," I snuggled closer to her. "Clothes are such an inconvenience after all," I grinned slyly.

Bella returned my grin and brought her lips to mine. We soon began again, not caring that day's hours were almost gone, only that we had forever ahead of us.

**AN: Hey guys! Hope you're enjoying the story. Please let me know what you think about the direction ****Melting Ice, Rising Sun**** is taking. I'm up for comments/constructive criticism of any kind (I only ask that you be nice to each other). **

**If you've been keeping up with the photos that go along with the story, as a reminder, there is a link to a Photobucket album on my profile page. I've unlocked a sub-album called Chapter 13 under the Wolf Pack album that has a picture of wolf Bella and the whole Quileute wolf pack!**


	14. Confrontation

**AN: I'm very sorry for the long delay. I've spent some time writing a story for a different fandom in an attempt to clear my head and now that I've gotten back into the routine of writing, I've returned to this story with fresh eyes and a renewed love for it. I have received several encouraging messages the past few days which have really motivated me to keep writing. I believe in this story and I'm so glad that so many of you seem to as well. Thank you so very much for your support. A special shout-out goes to BringMeBelugas and Zayide for their incredibly helpful feedback and encouragement! –Mimi**

**Quick side note: I apologize if my notations for thoughts and pack communication have gotten confusing. Bella's thoughts whether she is a wolf or not **_will always be in plain italics_** and everyone else's pack communication **_**will be in bold italics**_**. Hope this helps!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 14: Confrontation<p>

As the last of the light left the sky and the forest was plunged into darkness, I carefully helped my Jacob to his feet. He groaned quietly, his mending bones still causing him pain. "Are you going to make it, tough guy?" I whispered in his ear.

"I'll be fine. I just forgot everything hurt while we were…occupied," he chuckled.

I felt my pulse quicken as I remembered our time together on our improvised bed of moss and leaves.

"I guess we'll be needing those clothes now," Jacob said forlornly. "I was quite enjoying our time without them," he purred mischievously.

Even in the darkness, I could sense Jake's playful smirk and shared in his assessment. He leaned forward and brought his lips to rest against mine, gently applying pressure. His arms snaked around my waist as he deepened the kiss, pulling our bare chests closer together. I felt the excitement flaring to life inside me but the images of an injured Jacob that flooded my mind brought me back to reality. Knowing where our actions would lead if I didn't intervene, I unwillingly pulled away from him. "So…h-how do we go about getting these clothes?" I awkwardly gasped.

Jake placed one last kiss on my forehead and sighed resignedly. "You'll need to phase again and let the rest of the pack know. Just tell them we both need a change of clothes and they'll be here soon."

"Tell them? Just like that? What am I meant to do?" I asked, my head spinning in confusion as it attempted to absorb all the new information.

"Bells, you have to just trust your instincts like before. Don't think—just do," he encouraged me.

I slowly closed my eyes and focused on the steady beat of my heart and my slow pattern of inhaling and exhaling. I pictured my beautiful, white wolf-self in my mind and let my desire to feel her power and strength again flood through my body. I gasped as my body contorted and I suddenly felt as though I was exploding outwards into an enormous mass of fur.

Moments later, I quickly adjusted to my newly sharpened senses. My powerful nose was quickly flooded with the earthen, musky smells of the forest. Though I had yet to train myself to associate a mental picture with all of the unique scents, they were all the same very familiar to me. I opened my eyes and surveyed my surroundings. I glanced upwards and clearly saw the bats waking up for the night to indulge in a bug-filled breakfast. Their high-pitched squeaks filled my ears and were quite annoying. Jake must have sensed my grimace because I heard him quietly chuckle beside me.

"Yeah…bats definitely aren't my favorite either. You learn to tune them out after a while though," he mused.

I turned my head to look at him and was amazed by how well my wolf eyes worked. I thought I could distinguish every hair on Jake's head. I looked into his eyes and even though I wasn't sure if he could completely see my face, I displayed one of the wolfy-grins that Jake liked to flash me from time-to-time. After hearing another of his amused snorts, I playfully slurped the side of his face with my massive tongue.

"Ah!" Jake laughed, wiping at his now drenched face with his arm. "Bad doggie," he smirked.

I let a small growl reverberate in my chest, warning Jacob that I did not appreciate the pet name.

"Alright alright, I'm sorry," he said seriously. "So…how about those clothes, hmm?"

_Oh yeah… I'm still not sure what I'm doing, but here goes I guess._

Thinking clearly about what I wanted to tell the pack, I felt my head dip backwards and from deep within my chest, a slow, sustained howl emerged. The lonely, mournful sound echoed through the dense trees until finally a few moments later, I heard the howls of the pack as they phased.

_**Where are you? **_Sam's deep voice rang inside my head.

_Maybe about 5 miles away from the house. We're near a stream. I'm sorry I don't know more._

_**Stay put. We have clothes for the two of you.**_

Wondering who all was included in "we," my mind displayed quickly flashing images of Leah, Seth, Paul, Jared, Quil, Embry, Colin, and Brady in rapid succession.

_Wow, that's really the whole pack…_

_**Well what'd you expect, Bella? We want to know what's going on too! We can hardly believe it! **_Seth's excited voice chattered.

_**Just what I need **_Leah grumbled. _**Another annoying voice that won't get out of my head.**_

_**Oh shut up, Leah. **_Quil complained.

_**Seriously, Leah, It's going to be okay **_Embry tried to reassure her.

Before too long, nine beautiful, enormous wolves bounded into the clearing, their tongues hanging not so delicately out of their mouths as they panted. Leah opened her mouth and the small satchel of clothing she'd been carrying in her teeth fell unceremoniously to the forest floor.

"I'm going to phase so I will know what's going on," Jacob said to no one in particular. Thinking about his already painful wounds, I panicked and leapt in front of him. I bared my sharp teeth and began snarling loudly, warning him that if he knew what was good for him, he better not do it.

Jacob looked in my direction and said, "Bella, I'll be fine. I don't like being out of the loop."

I made a sharp barking sound deep in my throat before resuming my snarl, giving him one more chance to not be an idiot.

"It's probably a good thing that I can't understand you right now, Bells. I don't know if I even want to know the polite, charming things you're saying about me right now," he grinned. "Okay okay, I won't phase," he conceded.

_**Now that that's settled… **_Sam began. _**Let's talk about the new addition to our pack.**_

_**I still don't understand what happened **_Brady mused. _**She's not even a Quileute. I thought the only reason we still transform is because we're all descended from Taha Aki. **_

_**I discussed things with the doctor and Jacob and we have a theory at least **_Sam said. _**Firstly, ever since Jake imprinted on her, Bella has been able to hear his thoughts when he is a wolf. This seems to be fairly unique since no one else in the pack has experienced this.**_

_Billy told us that his grandmother was able to hear Ephraim Black's thoughts in the same way because he was the pack's alpha._

_**But Sam is our alpha **_Jared said. _**Emily can't hear his thoughts.**_

_**He's only alpha because Jacob was too chicken for the job **_ Paul snickered.

I growled angrily and felt my fur bristling with rage. _Jake was still just a boy when he learned about all of this. He didn't want to challenge Sam for authority when Sam was already handling things so smoothly._

_**Yeah yeah…anyway, skip to the part where you explain how this happened **_Seth said impatiently.

_**As we've determined, Jacob is the true alpha of the pack. Earlier today when the red-haired creature made a reappearance, Bella put herself in the path of danger so that the creature would not harm Jacob. She spilled her own blood as a distraction much like the Third Wife did and the creature turned its fury towards her instead. Fortunately we got there in time to save her, but Bella's actions of protection and self-sacrifice in order to save her mate and the alpha must have truly made her one of us **_Sam stated.

_**So… what if the Third Wife had survived? Would the same thing have happened to her? **_Quil asked.

_**That's what Sam thinks at least. Bella's wound wasn't fatal **_Leah grumbled. Feelings of surprise flashed through the pack's consciousness and an annoyed growl began in Leah's chest. _**I pay attention. I was listening to Sam earlier.**_

_**Well that settles things then **_Seth began cheerfully. _**Bella is one of us now! It's so awesome being a wolf Bella. We're so fast and strong and we can run for hours without getting tired and we can tear a vampire apart in no time at all.**_

An awkward silence persisted in the pack's mind. Finally, images of Emily calling Bella "the vampire girl" and scenes of Bella and Edward spending time together with each other and the rest of the Cullens were shared among the pack. Leah resumed her growling, her intense stare piercing right through me.

_**She'll never be one of us. She'll always be a vampire-lover. You can't be a decent protector of our tribe if you do nothing but side with the vampires. **_

_The Cullens have never meant any harm to the Quileutes. You know as well as I do that they do not feed on humans. As long as they keep to this promise, there's no reason to hurt them. _

_**You see? This is a weakness. She'll destroy our pack **_Leah snarled.

_There are good vampires out there. I will not harm the Cullens because they're good. However, if vampires like Victoria and her coven show up in La Push or Forks, I guarantee that I will have no qualms about tearing them to pieces myself. Those kinds of vampires are the ones who put our families and other humans at risk. I will always choose to protect human life. _

_**I still don't believe you. You've been far too sympathetic to the blood suckers. I can't have a wolf who I don't trust in this pack. You're not welcome **_ she roared as she launched herself at me.

"NO!" Jacob screamed.

The wind was knocked out of me as Leah's large, strong body made contact with mine. Her teeth snapped together as she tried to sink her teeth into my neck. Letting instinct take over, I used all of my strength to shove against her flailing body to throw her off balance. Once she was shaken off of me, I nimbly dodged her next leap and took a defensive stance as she prepared to attack once again.

_**ENOUGH! **_Sam's edict boomed in our heads. _**STOP THIS NOW **_ he roared. I suddenly felt a crushing weight pushing me towards the ground as my body was forced to obey the alpha's orders. Leah's own body was also being forced downwards, her teeth bared in anger.

_**Leah, you know our laws. You never harm a pack member's imprint. Now that Bella is a pack member too and she and Jacob are imprints, you've done even worse. Get out of my sight and don't you dare try anything like this again. Do you understand? **_ Sam growled in annoyance.

_**Yes, alpha. **_She spat. Sending one last glare in my direction, she turned and ran from the clearing back towards La Push. After a few uncomfortable moments, her little brother Seth bounded off into the night after her.

_**We will try this again tomorrow when we're all in our human forms. There is much to be discussed. Until then **_he said as he and the remaining pack members returned home.

Quickly phasing back to human form, I rushed over to where Jacob stood and embraced him. Jake squeezed me gently and then pushed us a few inches apart. "Ok Bells, you have to tell me what happened," he said seriously.

"Sam just told the rest of the pack about why he thinks this happened to me and wants to meet tomorrow to talk about it when we can't claw each other to shreds. Leah said she didn't trust me to do my job since I love the Cullens. She says I don't belong," I felt a few tears welling in my eyes, unsure of why her remarks hurt me like that.

Jacob wrapped his arms back around me and cradled my head against his chest. "Isabella Swan, you do belong. You are mine and I am yours. You have belonged ever since I imprinted on you. You belong even more now that you're part of the pack. Leah is just a grouchy psycho," he chuckled. "True, I'd like to rip her throat out of her neck for attacking you, but that's all it boils down to. She still hasn't forgiven you for associating with vampires and she looks for any reason at all to hate you."

"Oh…" I thought. "That would explain today. After you got hurt, she was particularly nasty to me. Edward told me that she was upset about you getting hurt. I think she blames me for it," I whimpered.

"Like I said, any reason at all she can find to have an excuse to hate you, she'll stick to it. She's vindictive, that one," he growled. "But don't you worry, Bella. I won't let her hurt you again."

"I bet it doesn't feel too good to be ordered around by your ex-boyfriend," I mused sadly. "She'll be even more upset now."

"Everything will be fine," he squeezed me gently.

After he released me from his grip, I padded over to where I thought Leah dropped the bag of clothes and groped around in the dark for it. After my hand brushed over its leathery handle, I dug through it, feeling for what had been packed. I felt the familiar, stiff texture of Jake's old jeans and tossed them over to him. While he struggled to put them on, I rummaged through the bag again and felt smooth fabric trimmed by lace.

"That bitch!" I growled.

"What?" Jacob said in alarm.

"She only packed my nightgown!" I could feel my blood boiling in anger. She had packed one of the shortest, most revealing pieces of nightwear I owned rather than normal clothes. I threw it to Jacob as I rose to my feet.

Jacob was silent a moment, probably feeling the outline of the garment before he burst into laughter. "Oh boy, Leah must really know how much I'm hurting. This probably just made my day," he chortled. "I really wish I could see in the dark because I would love to see you hiking through the forest wearing this."

"Shut up, Jacob!" I screeched in embarrassment. "Well seeing that neither of us has a flashlight, there's only one way to do things. Get on!" I ordered as I phased back to my wolf form.

"No no no….you're not carrying me, Bella. I have dignity you know," he replied.

I made the most threatening, anger-filled growl I could muster and lowered myself onto my belly so that he could climb on.

"But…I guess dignity means nothing when you have an angry mate who is capable of ripping out your beating heart with her fangs," he mumbled as he swung his left leg across my shoulders. I waited until I felt his arms lock around my neck before I sped off towards our cabin. Jacob felt weightless on my back and I was amazed at how quickly the trees sped out of my way as I ran. My thoughts were quiet so I assumed that all of the pack must have already phased back into humans.

_That was quite a new experience _ I thought, remembering the unusual sensation of sharing thoughts and mental images among nine other beings. _No wonder Leah was angry with me. It must get fairly complicated and noisy after a while._

Before long, I spotted the familiar lights from within the cabin. Bounding up towards the front door, I laid down long enough for Jacob to dismount. Using my nose, I could sense that we no longer had company. Sam and the rest of the pack had returned to their homes for the evening and the Cullens must have as well. However, I could still smell the sickeningly sweet odor that I now recognized as vampire scent. Since the smell didn't completely burn my nose, I knew that Edward and Carlisle had been gone for some time now. Glancing around my surroundings to make certain no one was watching, I returned to human form and scampered into the cabin to grab my bathrobe. Jacob hobbled in behind me and closed the door just as I tied the sash on my robe.

"I was rather hoping you'd wear this," he teased, tossing the wadded up satiny garment at me.

"You, sir, need to get your rest like you were supposed to," I eyed him.

"Yeah yeah…doctor's orders," he sighed.

I walked across the room and entered the guest bedroom where so much happened a few hours previously. I was surprised to find that the beds had been neatly made and someone had fixed the window I destroyed when I transformed. On the nightstand between the two beds, I saw a note written in very familiar, formal looking handwriting.

_Dear Bella and Jacob,_

_Sam came back to the cabin and let us know what happened with the pack. You must have been several miles away because I was not able to eavesdrop this time. But from what Sam told me, you both need your rest, so Carlisle and I are returning home. I am still in shock about today's events, but I hope we can all talk about it tomorrow. Would you like to come by around three in the afternoon?_

_I hope to see you then,_

_Edward_

I brought the note out into the living room to show Jacob. As he read, a worry line creased his forehead and his brows furrowed. "Well, I guess we'll be having all sorts of pow-wows tomorrow," he grumbled. "My head hurts already."

"Let's go get cleaned up so we can settle down for the night," I said quietly as I guided him towards the stairs with my hand.

We took a very much needed shower to wash away the earthy smells that clung to us as well as the debris from the forest floor that littered our hair. We spent several moments simply embracing each other as the hot water soothed our aching bodies. Feeling much more human, we dressed for bed and sunk very gratefully into our bed's soft comfort. I rolled onto my side and fluffed my pillow before placing my head upon it. Pulling me gently against his sore chest, Jacob snuggled closer behind me, his body molding perfectly around my curves. He kissed the back of my neck and let his arms wrap around me protectively.

"I love you, Bella. You will always belong," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss close my ear.

Rubbing one of his arms with my free hand, I replied, "And I love you, my Jacob."

As Jacob's breathing slowed into the slow, steady pattern of sleep, I couldn't help but smile as my drowsy brain reflected on the day's events. Jacob was safe, Victoria was gone forever, and now that I was a part of the Quileute wolf pack, Jacob and I belonged to each other even more fully than before. I didn't know what tomorrow would hold for us, all I cared was that in this one moment, we were happy and safe.


End file.
